Hidden Secrets & Broken Promises
by IluvMonkeys
Summary: Jenny has just had baby Ava,not long after the twin's first birthday. All seems to be well. But when Shannon and Kelly do a sudden reappearing act...well that comlicates tings a bit. And the web of secrets and lies only continues to unravel from there.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Hey guys! I'm back. I never meant to make you wait a whole week lol. Just a safety net for me. :) We all know how I can be with those updates. **

**So this will be the last installment for this little series. I may write more stories set in this little universe, should the inspiration come to me, but nothing so connected as these three have been. Thank you so much guys for reading and reviewing! I hope you like this one as much as the last. I really do!**

**Enjoy! :)**

_**~Previously~**_

_**Two days later, Gibbs pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Jenny's list of things in his head. She and Ava were being released from the hospital in several hours and had sent him home to get some things for her. He intended to stop by his house first though, and make a few calls.**_

_**As he drove down the streets of Washington, what with all that happened, he could not help but flash back twenty-two years, Kelly and Shannon on his mind. He chuckled, shaking his head, as he stepped out of his car, keys in hand.**_

_**He slid his key into the lock, pushing his front door open. He stopped in his tracks though at what he found, his face draining of all its color. "Shannon?" he choked.**_

_**The woman on his steps stood with a nervous laugh. "I see all those years of me locking the door behind us never made much of an impact." She paused, staring at the shocked man in the doorway. His hair was now more salt than pepper, and the years had contributed a few more lines here and there; but he was still Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "It's been a long time Jethro."**_

Shannon sat at the kitchen table across from Gibbs not ten minutes later, and still neither had said a word. "I heard you had a new baby," she whispered, "You and your new wife."

"Not married," he mumbled in reflex. He took a long swig of bourbon, before looking up to the woman in front of him. "How are you here Shannon?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief, "You're supposed to be dead. You're-You've been gone fifteen years," he fumbled.

She sighed heavily before speaking. "I've been in witness protection. Me and Kelly." She watched his head shoot up at the mention of their daughter, but continued. "I assume you know what happened. I saw a Marine murdered. The man who did it, Pedro Hernandez, he came after us. We were in a car accident. God Jethro, it was awful. I was in a coma for two months. I had three broken ribs, my left ankle was shattered, internal bleeding, the works. And Kelly. She's got a scar all the way down her neck where the glass sliced her."

He cut her off, "Kelly's alive too?" he demanded, hope in his eyes.

She nodded. "We both survived it Jethro. She just thought, maybe you should hear it from me. About a week after we were given our new identities, they told us that he was dead, but that we were still in danger. Until they tracked down his children, and his wife, we had to stay. Jethro, I'm so sorr-I never meant to do that to you. I just-"

He cut her off, surprisingly calm. "Keeping you and Kelly safe. I know Shan."

"I wanted to tell you. Give you some hint we were alive, but it was just…to risky. I thought about you every day. We both did "

He smiled sadly. "Me too Shan. Me too." He sighed. "Shannon, you were-I'll always love you. You know that. But-"

She cut him off, the same sad smile on her face. "You've moved on. We both have. It's been fifteen years Jethro. I'd be upset if you hadn't." She moved to her feet. "I guess maybe I should go."

He shot to his feet, eyeing her incredulously. "You show up on my steps after fifteen years, and now you're gonna walk out again."

She sighed. "I didn't come here, to disrupt your life Jethro. I just didn't want you to hear it from someone else, that we were back." She smiled a watery smile. "We'll be fine Jethro. You remember Don, from next door. He um, ended up relocating to Albuquerque. Where they sent us. Cliché right? We got a lot closer Jethro. I'd given up hope of ever seeing you again long ago by then. He got a job here in Washington again though. I married him Jethro. Kelly loves him. He's been like a father to her for the past five years." She watched his face, and added, "But he isn't you. She misses you Jethro. God she misses you."

Hours later, Shannon and Jethro sat in laughter relaying tales of their lives since they had parted ways. He stopped though at the mention of Jenny. "What time is it?" he demanded, his expression panicked.

She sent a quick glance to her wrist. "Ten," she replied, concern evident in her expression. "Jethro what's wrong?"

"Shit!" he muttered, running to the door, Shannon on his heels."

"Jethro what is it?"

"Jenny was supposed to be released from the hospital two hours ago," he spat.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "Jethro I'm sorry. I didn't think. God she'll hate me."

She wont hate you Shannon," he muttered, running out the door. _If she hated anybody, it would be him._

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs skidded into the Bethesda parking lot at record time, and jumped out of the car, sprinting though the hospital doors, and past the receptionist. He jammed the elevator button repeatedly until the doors opened and he darted between them, hitting the button for second floor. As the elevator began its ascent, he prayed she was still there. That way he may have a chance at explaining, no matter how upset she was.

Not two minutes later, the doors opened with a ding, and he shot out of them. He ran down the hall, bursting through the door of Jenny's room, only to find it empty. He cursed himself for his blunder. Out of his peripheral vision, he caught sight of a glimpse of pink scrubs. He spun to his right, demanding of the grey haired nurse, "THe woman that was in this room, where did she go?"

"Oh you mean Director Shepard?"

"Yes."

"Oh _beautiful_ baby girl. You just missed her. She left about fifteen minutes ago with her sister. Lord they looked like they could've been twins."

He sighed wearily, turning back for the elevators. _She was going to kill him._

Thirty minutes later, he pulled into their driveway, rubbing out the wrinkles between his brows, cursed at seeing Heather piling the kids into her car. "Jesus," he muttered.

"Heather," he called, and her head shot up at her name.

As he neared her, her eyes narrowed. He jogged up the walkway, but stopped in front of the blue eyed red head. She did not even bother to turn to face him. She simply said, "In the bedroom. If you're going to fix this Jethro, you better to do it fast."

He took the steps two at a time, and made his way down the hallway, until he stopped, panting, in the doorway to the bedroom. Jenny turned, her ponytail swinging behind her, expecting to find her sister, but glared, at finding the very person she did not want to see.

She turned back to the suitcase she was packing, and tossing, various articles of clothing into the bag, said, "You know, I was going to tell you to take the week to find out what you were going to do, but the very _fact_ that you left me in a hospital with our _two day old_ _daughter, _tells me that you already have." Zipping up her suitcase, she turned to him, a sad smile on her face at the shocked look on his. "You thought I didn't know. News travels fast Jethro. Especially when the news, is that Leroy Jethro Gibbs' wife and daughter, thought to be dead for _fifteen years_, pop back up just after his new girlfrien gives birth.

"Jenny," he tried, but she cut him off.

"I understand it Jethro," she sighed, biting her lip, forcing her eyes not to water, "She's her. Doesn't mean I have to like it though. I'm taking the kids with me to Heather's for the week. That should be enough time to have your things out by then."

"Jenny!" he snapped, finding that it was the only way to shut her up. It worked. She stopped, eyeing him reproachfully. "I don't want Shannon." She eyed him skeptically, and he grabbed her by her biceps, taking her to the bed with him. "I let you down. I'm sorry. I moved on Jen. I don't want Shannon. She doesn't want me."

"Jethro," she sighed, but this time he cut her off.

"Listen!" he snapped, and she clamped her mouth shut. "I stopped by my house after I left. She was there. We started talking, and I lost track of time. I'm sorry."

"Jethro," she sighed, shaking her head, "They're deaths are a _huge _part of who you are. They helped shape you into the man I fell in love with. Some things I would love to change, but-" It was all so much to take in. "I accepted that they would always be a part of your life, but Jethro this is different."

"What would you change?"

"What?" she demanded. Why did that matter?

"What. Would. You. Change?"

She made a sound something between a scoff and a laugh, and moved to her feet. "Your insane hatred of authority."

"Never liked authority, even in he Marines. What else?"

"The fact that you can't seem to play well with others."

"Never did that either. Ask Shannon."

She smiled. "Jethro."

"What else?"

"I don't know. I can't think of anything else right now," she sighed.

He nodded. "What do you love. Be specific."

"Need me to feed your ego Jethro," she teased, and he smiled.

"I'm serious Jen."

She bit her lip. "You will protect your family above all else. You consider your team your family. You save the women and children first. You put _everyone _before yourself." _That _is what she was worried he would lose.

"Marines instilled that in me from day one Jen. I was in the Marines long before I met Shannon."

She laughed through her tears, swiping at the droplets of water in aggravation.

"I'm sorry Jen," he whispered, pulling her into his arms.

She nodded against his chest, cursing her hormones that wouldn't seem to go away, even after the pregnancy. He had probably told her he was sorry more times in the past few minutes than he had since she had known him. "You're not off the hook," she muttered, pushing away from him, swiping once more at the stray tears.

"I figured," he grumbled, and she laughed.

Heather appeared at the door, a knowing smile on her face. "I take it I won't be needed."

Jenny laughed with an imperceptible shake of the head. "Thanks Hev."

Heather nodded. "The twins are in their room, and Ava is in hers." She turned to leave, but quickly stuck her head back in, and said, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Heather!" Jenny growled, but the only response she received was her sister's laughter.

Later that night, Jethro watched from the doorway of their bedroom, as Jenny finished feeding their daughter, and laid her in her crib.

"Good night ma cheri," she whispered, running a gentle hand over the Ava's hair.

She crossed the room, shutting the lights off, and shut the door behind her. "She'll be up in two hours," she laughed, and Gibbs chuckled, following behind her toward the bedroom.

Five minutes later, Gibbs sat in bed while Jenny got herself ready for bed. "Jen?" he called.

She turned to him for a split second before turning back to the mirror, "Yeah," taking her hair tie out of her mouth, and gathered her, thick, red locks into a ponytail.

"They wanna when it would be okay to come by. If they can come by."

She paused, slowing in her movements, and turned to him. "Why?"

"Kelly," he sighed, and then it dawned on her.

"Jethro have you seen her yet?" she demanded.

"No," he replied, wondering what weight that held.

She sighed incredulously. "Jethro why are you asking me?" she demanded. "Did you think I would try to keep you from her?"

"No Jen," he sighed, "Shannon. She just, doesn't want to-"

She shut her yes in an attempt to calm herself, before opening them, and sighing, "They can come, whenever they want Jethro." She shut off the lights and walked around the bed, sliding in without another word.

Three days later, Gibbs moved around the kitchen, attempting to tidy up while Jenny slept with the baby upstairs, and the twins napped in their room. He had practically had to force her into bed. She was exhausted, any one could see that; and his suspicions had been proved true as she had been sleeping for two hours.

As he finished, he was startled by a knock at the door. He still wasn't used to locked doors. He wiped his hands on the dishtowel and tossed it into the sink, heading for the door. Stopping at the heavy, oak door, he looked through the peephole, sighing at seeing who his visitor was. He swung the door open, eyeing his visitor. "Hey Shan."

"Hi, Jethro," she sighed, clearly in debate about something. "I hate to come by so unexpectedly. I know you said any time, but I should've called." she paused. "Look, Kelly, she wanted to see you. I just thought, maybe we should give her a week you know," she said, referring to Jenny.

"Come on in," he sighed, stepping aside.

Jenny mewed as she woke, stretching out across the bed. She rolled over to look in on her daughter, and finding that she was, miraculously, still asleep, Jenny sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, and planted her feet on the floor. She ran a hand through her tousled locks as she stood. She had a lot on her mind, what with the baby, keeping her up every two hours, and Shannon and Kelly's sudden reappearing act.

Fifteen minutes later, she jogged down the stairs, dressed in a green rib tank, and matching running shorts, a pair of Nikes on her feet, her red hair, pulled back into a high ponytail. "Jethro?" she called, heading for the kitchen, knowing she would find him there. "Watch the baby. I'm going for a run with-" Her word caught in her throat at the sight before her.

Her hair had been died blonde, and cut into a stacked bob, the years had contributed a few lines; faint crow's feet and laugh lines. But there was no doubt about it. She was the woman in the pictures.

_Shannon Gibbs_, sat in her kitchen, a tentative smile on her face.

**A/n: Soooo? Tell me what you think guys; I hope you liked it :) OMG YOU GUYS! TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY! :D EEEE! I'M SO EXCITED!**

**You know what would be the bestest present ever?…Lot's of reviews *wink* Tehe. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: Heeey guys! Thanks for reviewing! And for all the birthday wishes! I'm really glad you're liking the story. Hope you like this chapter too. :) Sorry it's a tad shorter than they normally are. **

**paris chica, NCIS FTW, Fiva4Tiva, danielle007, ladybugsmomma, hopesmom999, Jollymonkee5613, crs529, Shestrun(Liraeyn), GeorgiaEmerald, jessey, Aunt Jo, sciuto8, Prettycrazy, Madje Knotts, greeklilly, Paris-eternellement, basket-case1880, bluemoon909, Herky Illiniwek, THANKS GUUYS!**

Jenny swallowed thickly, unable to find the words she wanted to say; she was not really sure that she _did _know what she wanted to say.

Shannon stepped in, her voice apologetic, though there was an undeniable shakiness to it. "I'm uh—I'm Shannon." She took the red head's silence as disdain, and hurriedly attempted to explain herself. "I'm sorry," she apologized, running her fingers along the edge of Jenny's heavy, oak bar table, taking a breath before continuing, "I don't mean to barge in like this," she sighed.

Jenny cut her off gently, clasping the woman's hand in hers, meeting her eyes. "I'm Jenny." She inhaled through her nose, smiling tightly, knowing that this needed to be said, "And you are welcome, whenever you like."

They were interrupted as a lithe bodied young woman with honey blonde hair, tanned skin, and striking, oh so familiar, eyes, stepped into the kitchen doorway. "Hi daddy," she whispered, tears threatening to fall.

Gibbs stepped forward, taking his daughter in his arms, and for the first time in a very long time, Leroy Jethro Gibbs cried. Jenny looked up, toward the stairs at Ava's cries. She looked back to the reunion in her kitchen before smiling softly, and slipped out of the room unnoticed, or so she thought.

She climbed the stairs, making her way down the hallway. "Hi honey," she murmured, lifting her wailing daughter out of her bassinet. "What's the matter?" She ran a gentle hand over the child's head. "Are you hungry? Okay."

She turned to sit in the rocking chair, but jumped slightly, seeing Shannon standing there. "Sorry," the blonde apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. Is she alright?" she asked, referring to the baby in Jenny's arms.

"She's fine," Jenny replied, running a hand over Ava's head. It seemed to be becoming a habit for her. She smiled softly, looking to the blonde. "She's just hungry."

Shannon nodded. "She's a beautiful baby."

"Thank you."

"She looks so much like Kelly did," the blonde commented, in disbelief, moving closer as Jenny dropped into the rocking chair behind her.

"Jethro said the same thing," she laughed, grabbing a yellow blanket from the bed, and tossed it over her shoulder, so that it draped over her chest. Soon, Ava had quieted, and was suckling away happily.

"I'm glad he found you," she confessed, "You're that one for him. I can tell. The way he looks at you." She smiled; no trace of jealousy in her voice, simply genuine happiness and maybe gratitude.

Jenny smiled softly, resituating her daughter, and spoke softly. "Thank you."

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs and Kelly entered the bedroom, to see Jenny in the rocking chair, Shannon on the edge of the bed, both women laughing hysterically. He cocked a brow in question towards Jenny, but she just grinned. "What are you doing up here?" he demanded, though not unkindly.

"Talking about you," Jenny replied, grinning teasingly. He rolled his eyes, pulling a face, and Jenny laughed, pointing, "There's the face." Shannon laughed nodding, and he rolled his eyes again.

"Ava all right?" he asked, and Jenny nodded.

"She was just hungry." She then stood, approaching the oval face, dimpled young woman standing behind her father. "Hi," she greeted, smiling at the girl.

"Hi," Kelly replied, smiling shyly, holding out her hand, "I'm Kelly."

"Jenny," the red head replied, shaking the offered hand. "Well you are just gorgeous," she complimented the blonde, in an attempt to break the ice.

It seemed to work. Kelly grinned. "Thank you."

Within an hour, everyone had been well acquainted, and Kelly sat in the nursery playing with a giggly Leilah and Jacob. Jenny smiled, at the three, and then announced, "Well. I think I will take that run now."

Kelly looked up, a smile in her eyes. "You're going for a run?"

Jenny nodded. "If that's okay?"

"Oh yeah sure," Shannon assured her. "I can't believe you're up to it," she laughed.

"Shepard genes," Jenny joked, "We bounce back quick."

"Can I come?" Kelly asked.

"Um," Jenny sighed. She had been hoping for a little alone time, but she allowed a smile settle on her face, and agreed. "Sure. You're a runner?"

"She does Ironmans," Shannon, murmured, and Jenny smiled.

"You'll like Ziva."

"Who?" Kelly asked in confusion, and the red head shook her head.

"Never mind. You'll meet her soon."

The young blonde moved to her feet, but stopped, an expression of disdain crossing her face. "I don't have anything to run in."

"What size are you?" Jenny asked.

"Four?" she replied, and Jenny smiled.

"You can borrow something of mine."

Jenny stood in her closet, grabbing a pair of Under Armour compression shorts and a blue rib tank, and handed them to the girl. "Thanks," Kelly sighed gratefully, heading to the bathroom to change. Several minutes later, she stepped out, and Jenny nodded in satisfaction.

"Do they fit okay?" she asked, and at Kelly's nod, it dawned on her. "You need shoes," she sighed. "Can you wear a seven?"

"That's my size," Kelly said, and Jenny laughed.

"I can see we may have some issues with clothes snatching." Kelly grinned, and the red head handed her a pair of black and blue Nikes.

Twenty-five minutes later, both women stopped to stretch at one of the benches of Georgetown Waterfront Park after five miles. "God you're fast," Kelly sighed.

"Not for forty-two miles," she laughed, referring to the blondes' participation in triathlons.

Kelly laughed. "I don't think I've ever run five miles in twenty-five minutes flat."

"Wait until you meet Ziva," Jenny scoffed, grinning. "She'll do it in _nineteen_."

When they arrived back at the Georgetown town home twenty minutes later, Jenny slid her key into the lock, and stepped inside, closely followed by Kelly. "So have you thought about school?" Jenny asked, dropping her keys on the table in the foyer.

Kelly nodded. "I was hoping to go to Georgetown. I've always wanted to go there," she laughed. "And maybe study international relations. I want to work for the Foreign Service. It'll be tough though."

"It will," Jenny agreed, "but I think you can do it. And, if you do decide to go to Georgetown, I could put in a good word for you. I'm an alumni to the university, and my position at NCIS doesn't hurt either."

"Really?" Kelly breathed, "Oh my gosh that would be so great. Thank you," she thanked the older woman emphatically, throwing her arms around her. Jenny tensed up, taken by surprise, and Kelly jumped back as if she had been burned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—

Jenny cut her off. "It's fine Kelly," she assured the young woman, throwing her arm around her waist. "But I suggest you look into some other colleges. You never know. In fact, I'm sure there are plenty of them better than Georgetown. You seem like a smart girl. You could probably get into Princeton if you wanted to."

Later that night, after Kelly and Shannon had gone home, Jenny and Gibbs lied in bed, Jenny a thoughtful expression on her face. "Jethro, we have to get the guest room ready tomorrow," she sighed. "Remember my mother is coming."

"Yeah I remember," he mumbled against her neck as he kissed his way down her chest. He had far different things on his mind.

"Jethro are you listening?" she laughed.

"Yeah," he muttered, working on the hem of her nightgown.

"Jeth-" she started, but he cut her off.

"I remember Jen. I'm not too worried about that now though," he teased, and she laughed softly.

**A/n: What? No cliffie! Shocker right? Lol don't worry there will be plenty. Had to have a little bit of family time in there. Hope you liked it guys. *hearts* There will be TIVA and McAbby in the next chapter :)**

**S/n: HAPPY BIRTHDAY Fiva4Tiva! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Hiya peoples! Man for some reason it feels like it's been forever since I posted for this story, or any of them for that matter…haha, but anywaaaay…**

**NCIS FTW, Jollymonkee5613, Shannon Jethro Gibbs Snape , JET1967, Stormygrl0804, Fiva4Tiva, Tempe4Booth, Paris-eternellement, Herky Illiniwek, KellyGibbsNCIS, ladybugsmomma, NCISGleek, Aunt Jo, thanks for all the luv via R&R! *lotsa smileys***

Jenny moaned, stretching as she woke, and looked up at the silver haired man in her bed through sleepy eyes. "Morning," she murmured, burying her face in his chest.

"Morning," he mumbled groggily.

She smiled, placing a soft kiss to his shoulder, before rolling on top of him, kissing him languidly. He smiled against her lips, tangling his hands in her hair.

"I'm going to start the shower," she sighed, moving to slide off him, only to have him tighten his grip. She collapsed on top of him, and laughed. "Jethro," she sighed, resting her head on her hands, interlocked on top of his chest. "Jethro, you have to go to work," she whispered, looking up at him through her lashes.

"I'll make it," he grumbled, sleep still clouding his voice.

She rolled her eyes, smiling, and slid out of his grasp. She rolled out of bed, running a hand through her mussed hair. She felt his eyes on her, and grinned. "Stop staring at my ass and get up Jethro," she teased, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

Not long after she had disappeared into the bathroom, he got out of bed with a groan, and ran a hand over his Marine cut; sure he had pieces of hair sticking up.

Several minutes later, Jenny descended the stairs, clad in no more than one of Gibbs' few dress shirts. The scent of brewing coffee assaulted her nose, and she rounded the corner to the kitchen, finding Gibbs there, chewing on a piece of toast. "Is that all you plan to eat?" she asked, stifling a laugh at the disgruntled look on his face. He simply grunted in response, and she smiled softly, pouring herself a cup of the swill he called coffee. She grabbed the creamer from the fridge, as well as the sugar from the table, adding generous amounts of both to her cup before taking a sip.

They stood in comfortable silence for some time before Jenny sat her empty cup on the counter, and turned to the grumbly man in her kitchen. He never had been much of a morning person. "You really are awful in the mornings Jethro," she teased, and he glared. He grinned turning on her heel, heading out of the kitchen, only to be stopped by his voice.

"You know I was gonna wear that shirt today," he grumbled, and she turned back to him, cocking a manicured brow. "Court," he growled.

"This shirt?" she asked, turning her back once more.

"Yeah."

"Okay," she complied, a devilish grin on her face, unseen by him, and let the cotton shirt slide of her shoulders and onto the floor in a heap of fabric. Her actions revealed her undergarments, or lack thereof, seeing as she was clad in no more than a pair of black boy shorts.

She squeaked, when he was by her in an instant, pinning her against the wall by her hips, crashing his lips over hers. She laughed against his lips, tangling her hands in his short cut. "We really shouldn't be doing things like this," she joked breathlessly, "We have children now."

"Mmm," he murmured "but none of them are old enough to walk down those stairs or say anything in full sentences."

"Yes but they do say _something_, so we should keep quiet," she whispered.

"I'll try to remember that," he mumbled, and she squealed when he took her by surprise, tossing her over his shoulder.

"Jethro," she hissed, giggling as he carried up the stairs.

Several hours later, long after Gibbs had left for work, Jenny moved around the kitchen, making herself a salad while the twins sat in their high chairs. She had chosen to take the next two months in maternity leave, and she had to admit, not having to rush out of the house in the morning, or worry about not making it home on time to put her children to bed was nice.

She added the finishing touches to her salad, adding a handful of walnuts and cranberries, before covering the entire the thing with raspberry vinaigrette.

She grabbed a fork from the drawer at her right, and crossed the room to sit at the table. Setting the salad in front of her, she set a bowl of sliced bananas in front of each of the twins, smiling at them as they grabbed the fruit in their small hands, munching on it happily. She took a bite of her salad, shaking her head, thinking of the mess they were bound to make.

Gibbs sat at his desk, filling out his paperwork, shaking his head at the antics of his team.

"Tony could not remember how to pronounce his last name," Ziva laughed, speaking of the Italian's drunken actions the previous night.

"At least I remembered where my bed was," he muttered, and her eyes widened in shock. She sent her pen flying across the room, and it missed his head by only a hair, imbedding itself in his chair. He had sworn never to speak of that. He looked to her with wide eyes, his expression a mix of fear and disbelief. "You could've killed me!" he breathed, "I could've been a Dinozzo shish-kabob!"

She smiled menacingly, and stood from her chair, making her way across the room, stopping at his desk. She reached across him, pulling her pen from his chair, and set it on his desk. "Do you want this?" she asked, grabbing his burger, and took a bite out of it.

"Yeah. Kinda," he protested, though she continued eating. "Ziva!"

"I am pregnant Tony," she gave in teasing explanation before turning back to her desk.

Jenny wiped her children's faces of the banana mush they had managed to smear all over their mouths, and kissed each of them before gathering each of their bowls and hers, and taking them to the sink. She rinsed the dishes out, placing them in the dishwasher, and turned back to her children, but frowned at seeing her daughter rubbing her eyes, and starting to whine.

"What's the matter honey?" Jenny asked, cupping her daughter's face. She grew concerned as the child started coughing. Within thirty seconds, her lips had started to swell, and Jenny started to panic, her eyes darting over her child frantically. When the little girl, by then in tears, projectile vomited all over her mother, Jenny grabbed her out of the chair, lifting Jacob as well, and all but sprinted to her car, hooking them both into their car seats, and sped out of her driveway.

Sending a quick glance back at her daughter, who was wheezing, and turning pale, Jenny pulled out her phone, dialing a familiar number. "Noemi," Jenny demanded, her voice shaking slightly.

"_Si Senora? Senora are you alright?"_

"Noemi where are you?" Jenny demanded, ignoring the young woman's queries.

"_Pulling into the driveway now Senora. Is everything alright?"_

"Watch the baby Noemi," Jenny instructed before snapping her phone shut.

By the time Jenny pulled into the emergency lane of the Georgetown Hospital, Leilah was gasping and wheezing for air through her tears, and she was breaking out in a sweat. "Oh my God," Jenny breathed, taking both of her children out of their seats, and rushed through the hospital doors, her car the farthest thing from her mind.

The blonde woman took one look at the baby, with her eyes red and swollen, wheezing and coughing, sweating bullets, and dialed a number on the phone, her eyes never leaving the child. "Dr. Jackson, you're needed in the lobby." Hanging up the phone, she shot out of her seat, moving around the desk to take the baby from the harried looking red head in front of her. "Is she allergic to something?" she asked, and Jenny shook her head, at a loss for words.

"No. I don't thinks so. I don't know," she breathed. The thought that her daughter was hurting, and there was nothing she could do to stop it was killing her. Within moments, a dark skinned man in a doctor's coat appeared at their side.

He took the baby from the nurse, rushing down the hall, as the nurse relayed what little information Jenny had given her to him. The nurse then turned to the red head, "Have you had any eggs or nuts, or peanuts, anything like that?"

Jenny was about to shake her head, but gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth, "Walnuts."

The nurse nodded, her mouth set in a firm line, and followed after the doctor, but turned to Jenny, stopping her at the double doors. "Ma'am you need to stay here," she instructed sternly.

Jenny's expression grew livid, "She is my daughter. You can't tell me that I can't go with her."

"Ma'am you need to stay _here_," the blonde nurse repeated adamantly, a note of authority in her voice, "The doctors will do their jobs better without you there," she soothed before ushering the red head back to the waiting room. "Come with me."

Gibbs sat in interrogation with his suspect, a seedy looking man with greasy hair, and a leering expression that seemed to be pasted onto his face. He had been staring the man down for the past half hour, and as he was about to speak, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored, starting in on his interrogation.

Two hours later, Gibbs walked out of interrogation, the sniveling man in front of him. "Book him," he murmured, taking his phone out, and knitted his brows, finding that the screen flashed _1 Missed Call, Jen. _"McGee!" he barked, and the computer buff, turned to him expectantly. He waved the younger man over, and Tony took the suspect down the hall.

"Yeah boss?"

"Do the message thing," Gibbs demanded, glaring at the contraption. He still had no idea why they had to use the damn things.

Within seconds, McGee handed the phone back to him, "There you go boss. Just hit that middle button," he said, pointing indicating the _Okay_ button, "And it'll play it for you."

The silver haired man held it to his ear, rubbing the wrinkles out of his forehead. It had been a long day. His expression soon darkened though, and he took off for the elevators at a sprint.

Twenty minutes later, he burst through the doors of his daughter's room, finding Jenny by her bed, her forehead resting in one hand, while she ran the other over the little girl's curls. When she did not turn to look at him, he came up behind her, resting one hand on her shoulder, placing the other on the sleeping baby's face. "She all right?" he asked, careful to keep his voice quiet.

"Yeah," Jenny whispered, rubbing her hand over her mouth. She reached up, swiping at a stray tear, and sniffed, getting up to head into the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face, her tears mingling with the droplets of water. She took a deep breath, drying her face, before exiting the bathroom. Her daughter's father sat in her previous spot, his eyes on their eldest daughter.

He turned to look at her, taking in her red eyes and nose, her tear stained cheeks; but it was the haunted look in her eyes that worried him. She pursed her lips, before meeting his eyes with the same haunted expression. "It's my fault," she whispered.

"It's not your fault Jen, he sighed, but she contradicted him adamantly.

"I had the walnuts in my salad. I could've killed her," she whispered, barely trusting her own voice.

"You couldn't have known Jen," he tried, "She's never had a reaction to them before."

"It doesn't matter Jethro," she insisted, "She just—she started wheezing and choking. I didn't know what to do."

"You got her here in time though."

"What if I hadn't?" she challenged.

"You did," he said simply, and she shook her head, still not even remotely close to being appeased, and sunk to the edge of the bed that seemed to swallow up her small daughter.

The next day, Jenny stepped through her front door, a sleeping Leilah on her hip. Jacob shrieked in joy, his small feet smacking against the floor as he toddled to his parents as quickly as he could. "Shh," Jenny scolded, holding a finger to her lips, and he giggled mimicking her actions.

"Ssss," he whispered.

Noemi appeared in the entrance, her expression concerned. "She is alright?" she asked softly, and Jenny nodded.

"Fine," she assured the younger woman, speaking softly as well, so as not to disturb the child on her hip. I'm going to put her to bed," she announced, heading up the stairs.

As she was covering her daughter in her yellow blanket, she noted another presence in the room, and the tell tale scent of coffee, and sawdust was a dead giveaway as to whose presence it was.

Later that night, Gibbs walked in to the bedroom he shared with Jenny, finding that she still sat up in bed, two baby monitors by her bed; one for Ava, the other for Leilah. "Jen," he sighed, "Go to sleep."

"I'm fine," she muttered, and he eyed her challenge in his eyes.

"You didn't sleep at all yesterday," he reasoned, "You were up with Leilah all night."

"How do you know?" she challenged, and he fixed her with a look.

"I can't" she sighed.

"Yeah. You can."

"Jethr-"

He cut her off, switching off the light. "Sleep Jen."

**A/n: Aaah! I finally finished this chappie lol. So I hoped you liked it guys, and I'm working on Redhead Next Door too, for those of you reading that. It should be up within a day or two, and then the updates may be a little slow over the break. I'll probably be going to see family in Florida. Sooo yerps! *smiles* :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Within a week of her incident, Leilah was back to her old self; her rambunctious and giggly, unable to stay out of trouble self. Jenny had gone around the house, religiously searching for anything with any type of nuts, and tossed them out. They had run a test on Leilah while she was in the hospital, finding that she was, in fact, only allergic to walnuts, but Jenny was still on edge.

Jenny walked around the kitchen, wiping down the counters and walls, something that had since become a regular part of her daily routine when Noemi had her days off. She stopped, hearing screams from the living room, and sighed, moving to her feet. Leilah screamed at her brother, hitting him, and took a block from him, only to have him stand back up and push her over so that she fell to her knees. She started to scream, more out of anger than anything, and Jenny crossed the room, pulling them apart from each other. "No!" she scolded firmly, "We do not hit."

Ava started to wail from above, and Jenny sighed wearily, carrying both children upstairs on either hip, and set them in their cribs. The two of them had been at odds all day, and it was starting to grate at her nerves. She shut the door behind them, knowing that they would surely cry themselves to sleep.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, their cries quieted while Jenny sat in her room with the baby. Not long after Jenny had gotten Ava back to sleep, and into her bassinet, she dropped into the rocking chair by her bed, her movements full of exhaustion. Her eyes started to droop, and she nodded off as well.

Hours later, she gasped as she was yanked out of her slumber by a hand on her arm. She only relaxed when her senses were hit by familiarity; the silver hair, and the scent of sawdust and bad coffee. "Jethro," she sighed, wincing at the crick in her neck. "What are you doing home?" she yawned.

"Its 2230 Jen," he said, eyeing her skeptically, and her eyes bulged.

"What?" she demanded, her head whipping around to look out the window, shocked at finding the city covered in a blanket of darkness, aside from he yellow glow of the streetlights. She ran a hand over her mussed locks, and groaned, pushing herself to her feet. "I still have to finish cleaning this goddamn house," she muttered disdainfully.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked. It looked fine to him.

"My mother will be here in less than eight hours Jethro. Trust me, there is still plenty to do." She started to rattle off the list of things she still needed to do, though it was more to herself than him. "The laundry still needs to be folded, the dishes need to be done, I have to scrub down the guest bathroom, and change the bed covers in the guest room. That's going to take at least another two hours."

"The house looks fine Jen," he sighed, sinking to the edge of their, bed, kicking his shoes off. "Noemi changed the sheets yesterday, and the bathroom was never dirty in the first place."

"Even still, that still leaves the laundry and the dishes," she reminded, and he fixed her with a glare.

"You're exhausted. Get some sleep. I'll do it."

"You can't be any less exhausted," she challenged him, crossing her arms over her chest, eyeing him with a glare of her own.

The next morning, Jenny woke up, turning her head to look at the clock. She groaned at the time, 0530. Her mother would be landing in half an hour. She rolled out of bed, freeing her tangled locks of its tie, and headed into the bathroom to start the shower.

Ten minutes later, she stood in the shower, her eyes closed as the water beat down against her chest; she felt the rush of air at the shower door opening, and smiled as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. "I can't be late Jethro," she laughed softly. "My mother lands in twenty minutes."

But sure enough though, forty minutes later, she ran into the boarding gate, twenty minutes late. "Shit!" she muttered, seeing that her mother was nowhere to be found. She cast her glance upwards to look at the departing and arrival times, and sighed in relief and astonishment. Her mother's flight was twenty five minutes late.

Five minutes later, Jenny caught sight of the older red head coming down the ramp, a large purse and a small suitcase in hand. She wore a royal blue wrap dress and a pair of leather gladiator sandals on her feet, her shoulder length hair half pinned back in a butterfly clip. Jenny moved to her feet, smiling at her mother as she made her way towards her.

"Jenny!" Julie greeted her eldest daughter, dropping her bags to hug the younger woman, "Oh I hope you have' been waiting too long."

"Hi mom." Jenny smiled, hugging her mother, "And no, I was a little late too," she embellished.

"You look good," Julie praised, and though she had not meant for it to, surprise tinted her words. The last time she had seen her daughter, she was six months pregnant and at least twenty pounds heavier.

Jenny laughed, taking her mother's suitcase. "Thank you." She had only gained around twenty five pounds during the pregnancy, and much of her weight, she now knew, had been Ava. In the past two weeks, she had already dropped seven of the remaining seventeen pounds, and was nearly back to her pre-pregnancy weight.

Within an hour, Jenny slid the key into her front door, setting her mother's suitcase in the hallway. Within seconds, Noemi appeared in the doorway, Ava in her arms, the twins at her legs. Seeing their mother, they both jumped joyfully, and toddled toward her, wrapping their arms around her legs. "Hi," Jenny laughed, squatting down to their height, "Did you decide to be nice today?" She lifted both of them up on either hip with a groan, and turned to her mother. "Look who's here," she cooed, "Do you remember Grandma Julie?"

Both children smiled shyly at the woman who looked so much like their mother, and Jenny waved, expecting them to mimic her actions. "Say hi," she whispered, and Leilah gave her grandmother a small wave with one hand, sticking the other in her mouth. Jacob simply continued to look at the older redhead, his head cocooned in his mother's neck.

Noemi smiled at the reunion until Ava started to fuss in her arms, drawing the attention of the other adults in the room. "Is this her?" Julie asked, smiling at the dark haired baby in the Latina's arms.

Noemi nodded, "Ava Kelly." Julie turned to Jenny, who had set the twins on the ground, question in her eyes at the mention of the baby's middle name. Her eyes softened at Jenny's near imperceptible nod, and she turned back to the baby, who was looking up at her with wide eyes, though her focus seemed to drift around the room. "Hello," she cooed, "I'm your Grandma Julie." She smiled at the baby before turning back to her daughter. "Oh Jenny she's just gorgeous," she praised.

Twenty minutes later, after Jenny had gotten her mother settled into her room, they stood in the living room, Ava asleep in her mother's arms, while the twins played on the floor at their feet. "Where is that father of theirs?" Julie asked, smiling at the children playing in the floor.

"He's at work," Jenny sighed softly. "Mom," Jenny started, unable to gauge, even vaguely, what her mother's reaction would be to what she was about to tell her. "Maybe you should sit," she suggested, and Julie narrowed her eyes, doing as she was told.

"What is it Jenny?" she demanded, and the younger red head held out the glass of bourbon in her hand.

"Take it," she said, "You'll need it."

"Oh my God," Julie breathed, "You're not pregnant again are you?"

"What? No," Jenny insisted, "God no. That's not even-No mom. I'm not pregnant."

"Oh thank God," she sighed, but corrected herself, "Well I didn't mean it that way, but honestly, you're not even married yet," she murmured, and Jenny rolled her eyes, taking a seat across from her mother. "Oh my God! Are you getting married?"

"No! Mother I am not getting married!" she snapped, and she took a deep breath, trying to figure how best to say what she needed to say. "You remember how I told you about Jethro's first wife and daughter?"

Julie's gaze softened, and she nodded.

"Well, they, they're _not _actually dead. They were in Witness Protection."

"Excuse me?" Julie demanded. She felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her. "What do you mean they aren't dead Jennifer?"

"Shannon and Kelly are back. Back here in Washington," Jenny said, speaking slower, her words insistent.

"Jesus," Julie muttered, downing the glass of alcohol her daughter had handed her, wincing at the burn against her throat.

"And what does Jethro think?" she asked, obviously straining to keep her voice under control.

"He's happy, ecstatic even," Jenny said, smiling softly.

"And you? What do you think?" Julie demanded, "And don't lie to me Jenny. Don't sugarcoat it."

Jenny hesitated, looking down at the baby in her arms. "Shannon is sweet, and Kelly's great," she replied, her expression decidedly impassive.

"Jenny," Julie challenged, eyeing her daughter pointedly. "I did not ask you about their personalities. I asked you what you thought of them being in his life, and yours as well I suppose."

"It's an adjustment everyone will have to learn to deal with, but I do honestly like both of them."

"Mmm," Julie murmured, obviously still not satisfied with that answer. She often got fed up with her daughter's PC responses to things.

While Julie played with her grandchildren, Jenny retreated into the kitchen, pulling out her phone. She flipped through her contacts, selecting the number that was not yet imprinted in her mind. "Shannon?"

"_Jenny?"_

"Yeah. Hi. Are you doing anything right now?"

"_Nothing particularly important."_

"Would you come by with Kelly really fast? There's someone I want you to meet."

Forty minutes later, Jenny and Julie looked up at the ringing of the doorbell. "I'll get it," Jenny assured her mother, getting up from the couch. She walked through the foyer, swinging her door open, knowing just who would be standing there. Shannon and Kelly stood on her doorstep. "Hey," she smiled, "Come on in."

Julie looked up at the sound of multiple footsteps, almost dropping her granddaughter at what she saw. She had seen the pictures. She knew who they were. Seeing that Julie seemed to be shocked into silence Jenny broke the increasingly tense silence. "Mom, this is Shannon, and Kelly."

"I know who they are," she said, her voice chilling.

"Mom!" Jenny ground out in warning.

"Look maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Shannon, murmured, turning to Jenny. "This is a bit of a shock to everyone."

"No," Jenny cut her off, eyeing her mother pointedly, "You and Kelly are a part of our lives now, and my _mother_ will have to deal with that, just like everyone else."

"Jenny really, I don't want to cause any-"

This time, she was cut off by Julie, "Julie Shepard," she introduced herself, moving to her feet, and held out her hand, though her voice was no warmer.

Shannon and Kelly each shook the extended hand, smiling tightly.

Once Shannon and Kelly had settled in, sitting with the twins, Jenny grabbed her mother by the arm, dragging her into the kitchen. As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Jenny turned to her mother, her eyes livid. "What the hell is the matter with you?" she demanded.

"Me?" Julie demanded, "_You _are the one who just sprung this on me. What did you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to be civil. Can you do that? Can you at _least _be civil? You don't think this was a surprise for me too?" she demanded, "I dealt with it. You can too," she spat, before storming out of the kitchen, leaving Julie standing there in shock.

Her phone rang, and she snatched it out of her pocket. "What?" she snapped, and the line was silent for a moment.

"_Jen?" Gibbs asked, and she breathed out heavily through her nose. _

"What do you want Jethro?"

"_You alright?"_

"Yes," she bit out, " I am fine. Now what do you want?"

"_I told my team about Shannon and Kelly," he sighed._

"Jesus," she muttered, looking over to the women in question, before climbing the stairs, heading down the hallway to her bedroom. "What did they say?" she asked, shutting the door behind her.

"_They were pissed."_

"Why?"

"_Thought I was leaving you. Abs hit me. Ziva threatened to kill me, and Dinozzo…" he trailed off, "They think of you like a mom you know."_

Jenny rolled her eyes, but she could not help the smile that tugged at her lips at his words. "And what did you tell them?"

"_The truth. They want to meet them."_

She sat up at that. "When?"

"_Tonight."_

"Tonight?" she demanded, "What do you mean tonight?"

"_Abby got me to say yes to dinner."_

"Dinner? Jethro did you not think that maybe you should ask me about that?"

"_You sure you're alright Jen? You sound kinda-"_

"What? On edge? Aggravated? Yes! I am all of those right now!" She sighed heavily. "Fine Jethro. Dinner tonight. Tell them seven," she said, before hanging up the phone, and tossed it onto her bed. She sighed, massaging her temples, and moved her feet, swinging her door open.

She walked into the living room, and Shannon looked to her with question in her eyes. Jenny managed to paste a smile on her face, and sighed, before asking, "Would you guys like to stay for dinner?"

Shannon looked at her daughter before turning back to Jenny. "Sure," she agreed.

Having sent Noemi home, Jenny moved around her kitchen, plating the steaks, spooning the potatoes and red cabbage onto the plate as well, before topping the steaks with a red wine sauce. As if on cue, Jenny heard the key in the door, and her eldest children's squeals of happiness before the sound of footsteps in her hallway. At Gibbs call of her name, she yelled, "In the kitchen." She looked up, smiling at seeing him walk in, his son on his shoulders, his daughter at his hip. "Hi," she smiled softly, having calmed down after her mother finally got a grip. She then looked over his shoulder, smiling at the guests coming in behind him. "Hey," she greeted.

She was met by a chorus of , "Hey Jenny."

Everyone turned at the sound of a soft, soprano voice, that only Jenny and Gibbs knew to be Kelly's. "Jenny?" she called, "Do you have any-" she stopped, freezing in the doorway at the twelve pairs of eyes trained on her.

**A/n: Ay ay ay, the big moment…Now we wonder how Abby and the team will react to Shannon and Kelly… :)**

**P.S. I realized that I was missing the McAbby last chapter, and it just didn't fit in this one, so double dose next chapter! Promise :) *hugs***


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: Hiya guys! I'm sorry I've been kinda MIA for a while. Personal stuff. I won't go into details, buuut, I hope you like the new chapter :) It's been kind of a work in progress for a while. Lol, but yeah…hope you like it! Oh right! Gotta tell you, I moved the episode Requiem forward in the NCIS timeline, so it's like right after the Ex-Files one.**

**Enjoy!**

It seemed like an eternity that they stood there, looking at each other, no one really knowing what to say. Finally, Ziva took the initiative, and stepped forward, holding her hand out. "You must be Kelly," she said, her tone not unkind, but not particularly inviting either, "Ziva."

"So you're Ziva," Kelly said, nodding thoughtfully, and Ziva turned to Jenny raising her eyebrows. _What did that mean? _

"Oh! The original Gibblet!" Abby squealed, squeezing the younger woman. "And you look just like Gibbs, you know just prettier. Like more girly, feminine."

Kelly laughed at the Goth's reaction, and Tony came up beside her, holding out his hand to introduce himself, only to be cut off by Leilah the moment he opened his mouth. "Elly," she whined, reaching for her sister, and Kelly smiled at the baby, taking her from their father.

"Tony right?" Kelly guessed, and Tony grinned.

"Ha! See I got talked about too," he grinned, but at his thoughts, his grin slackened a bit. "It's all good right?" Kelly simply laughed, and turned to the last of the bunch.

"So I guess you're Tim," she deduced, smiling at him.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you."

"Same."

Several minutes later, they all sat around Jenny's kitchen table in conversation, Leilah still in her sister's lap, while Jacob had since moved to his mother's. All eyes shot up as Shannon walked through the doorway, dressed in a blue v-neck sweater and a pair of dark wash jeans.

Jenny smiled at the blonde, quickly making introductions. "Shannon this is Tony, and Tim, Ziva," she said, pointing to each person respectively, who in turn waved to the hesitant woman in the doorway. She then pointed to the grinning Goth, saying, "and this one, is Abby."

Abby shot forward like a light, catching the blonde off guard in a bone-crushing hug, "Oh!" she squealed, "It's so nice to meet you finally! I mean well I never really thought I would meet you, but you know, after Gibbs told us, it's nice to meet you. And-"

"Abby," Jenny cut her off softly, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Shannon smiled at the young woman; both Jenny and Jethro's descriptions of the Goth had been right on point. "It's nice to meet you too."

Tony moved from his seat next, holding out his hand, "I'm Tony."

Four hours later, Abby and the team gathered their things, preparing to leave. "Dinner was awesome Jenny," Abby complimented the older woman, hugging her.

"Thank you Abby," Jenny laughed, taking the hug from the Goth.

"It was very nice to meet you," Ziva smiled, shaking the hands of both Shannon and Kelly, "Both of you." She then redirected her gaze to Kelly. "And you and I will most definitely have to go running sometime.

"I'd like that," Kelly smiled; the men in the room bid their farewells before stepping out, and Jenny shut the door behind them.

While Jenny cleaned up the kitchen, Gibbs sat in the living room with Shannon, and Kelly kept an eye on the children upstairs. "How's the house hunting?" he asked, taking a sip from his tumbler of bourbon.

"Not great. We're still at the hotel. Don and I both have to work, and it's just hard to find the time."

"Take the old house 'til you get on our feet."

"You kept the old house?" she asked incredulously.

"Jen won't let me build a boat in the backyard," he explained, and she laughed.

"Are you sure Jethro?"

"Take the house Shan. I'm hardly there."

"Thank you," she smiled, "But only until we find a place."

Later that night, after Shannon and Kelly had left as well, Gibbs sat in bed while Jenny walked around their room, getting ready to join him. "Have you spoken to your father yet Jethro?" she asked, and he shook his head, his expression decidedly impassive.

"No."

"Why not?" she demanded, and he sighed heavily, looking up at her.

"I haven't talked to my dad in fifteen years Jen. Last time I talked to him was Shannon and Kelly's funeral. Before that, it was Shannon anyway who sent him cards and all of that."

"Don't you think he should at least know he has grandchildren? Or that Shannon and Kelly are alive. Kelly may be your daughter, but she is his granddaughter Jethro," she reminded him, eyeing him pointedly. When he showed no signs of backing down, she tried a different approach. "Jethro how would you have felt if I had known when Shannon and Kelly came back, and I hadn't told you? How would you have felt?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Jethro this is more than some spat between you and your father that spiraled out of control. _Call him._"

He turned off the light, settling under the covers without a word, and she scoffed, tossing back the comforter on her side as well, and settled in much farther away from him than she had slept in a very long time.

An hour after Gibbs had stepped into work, once he had come back from his coffee run, McGee came up in front of him.

"Boss there is a young woman here waiting to see you. I sent her to the lounge."

"Name?" he asked. He had no idea why anyone fitting that description would want to see him specifically.

"Maddie Tyler," McGee replied, a hint of question in his voice. He was just as curious as to who the mystery girl was.

"About?"

"Twenty-two, twenty-three, " the computer buff hazarded a guess, misunderstanding his boss. At Gibbs' look realization dawned on him, and he corrected himself. "Sorry," he apologized, before continuing, "Personal. She wouldn't say."

Gibbs nodded, heading off in the direction of the lounge.

As he stepped into the room, a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, whom he did not recognize, moved to her feet, a smile on her face. "Special Agent Gibbs," he introduced himself, still curious as to why she had asked for him specifically.

"I know," she blurted, clearly a bit nervous, but corrected herself, obviously having not meant to say what she did, "I mean I remember." At his unchanging expression, she quickly lost some of her enthusiasm, "But you probably don't," she whispered, coming to the conclusion aloud. "I'm Maddie," she offered, holding out her hand, "Maddie Tyler." Seeing that he still did not seem to remember her, she continued, "It's been a long time. I used to come over to your house." She hesitated, what she was about to say clearly difficult. "I was Kelly's best friend…Or I mean at least I remember myself being her best friend. I like to think she thought so too."

Realization crossed his face, and he started to place the blonde hair, the blue eyes; she was all grown up, just like Kelly, but he remembered. "You lived on base."

She nodded. "My dad was an officer."

"I remember," he sighed, taking his seat, and taking his cue, she did the same. "Good man."

She smiled; glad he had actually remembered her. "He retired," she said, her face dropping some at her next statement. "Moved back to Oakland. Died a couple years ago." He nodded, condolence in his expression, and she piped up, feeling the need to tell him something about herself now. "I'm finishing my degree at Georgetown. Science." At his silence, she realized that he was probably wondering why she had contacted him after so many years. "I guess you're wondering why I'm here." He smiled in agreement, and she dropped her eyes to her nails; a nervous tell. "This is going to sound so stupid," she scoffed. "I need some help," she blurted, looking up at him with wide eyes, "and you're the only person I know who-"

He cut her off. "Problems?"

"Guy problems," she laughed softly, her eyes watery. "Crazy guy, problems." She paused before continuing in a rush of words. "I went on a couple dates with him, about eighteen months ago. He's a Marine. Went to Iraq. Just got back a week ago. He came to see me. Wanted to get things started again. But I mean there—there was nothing to start because nothing had ever gotten started. I tried to explain that, but um—he kept insisting. He was desperate to move in with me. And uh—when I said no, it wasn't what he wanted to hear."

"He stalking you?" Gibbs demanded fiercely. Now that he knew who she was, he remembered how much he had once cared for the young girl, still did care for her. She nodded. "You file a report with the police?"

"They said there's nothing they could do. It's only been a week."

"He threaten you?" She nodded. "He hurt you?"

She cast her glance to her arm, clearly hesitant, pulling up her sleeve to reveal a nasty looking red and violet bruise. "I don't think he meant to. He just kind of grabbed me, but, he's really freaking me out."

"What's this Marine's name?"

"Rudy Hass."

"Where do I find him?"

"Outside my house," she stressed.

Even after he had made sure the Marine was gone, Gibbs stayed to make sure he would not come back. "I know it's around here somewhere," she muttered, rummaging around in the area he guessed served as her bedroom. Finally she picked up a binder, flipping the pages until she found the picture she had been looking for. "Here it is," she smiled, turning the book to him. "Can't remember who took that picture."

He looked at the picture, smiling sadly at the two little girls in the photo. Kelly, not a month younger than the last time he had seen her before he shipped out to Iraq, and Maddie right beside her, both girls grinning like they had a secret. The memories flashed through his mind and he smiled. "I did." He looked up at her, and said, "I never did find out what was so funny."

"She never told you?" she grinned, before her face fell, realizing her blunder. "Sorry," she whispered.

"I shipped out to Iraq that month," he sighed, "Last time I saw 'em."

"It was a time capsule. We'd um, filled this toy suitcase with all of our treasures. Kelly's mostly, and buried it in your back yard. We were sitting on it." He laughed, and she smiled sadly. "I never stopped crying. Still think about her after all these years. Wonder what she'd be like."

He smiled softly. "Like you."_ They had turned out just alike, two peas in a pod, just like all those years ago._

Forty minutes later, he strode into the bullpen. "McGee!" he barked, "Background check. Sgt. Rudy Hass. He's a Marine."

Within minutes, McGee had pulled up a profile on the man. "Marine Sgt. Rudy Hass. Works in Logistics. Currently on a thirty day leave after returning from Iraq."

"Service record," Gibbs demanded.

"Clean."

"Eight years in," Gibbs murmured.

"Prior to that grew up in Chicago," McGee added.

"State and local police," Gibbs demanded, "See if he's got a record."

The next day, Maddie Tyler had been abducted. Ten hours into the investigation of her kidnapping, Gibbs came down the stairs, after leaving the Director's office, where Vance currently resided. He headed straight for his desk, grabbing his gun and badge, or so they thought; and headed for the elevator.

"Where is he going?" Ziva murmured, and Tony looked at her, hitting her with a witty comeback.

"Well Ziva, he took his badge and gun. Maybe he's gonna go shoot somebody."

"Uh-oh," McGee muttered, having gone to Gibbs desk. The two of them looked in his direction, their faces going blank at the object he held in his hands. Gibbs' badge.

"Call Jenny," Ziva ordered. She might be the only one who could talk any sense to him at that point.

"He'll be okay right?" Abby demanded, pacing the bullpen, directing her question at McGee. Before he could answer, she cut in, "Of course he'll be okay. He's Gibbs. He'll be fine." Doubt and fear crossed her face, and she looked around at the faces of his team, "Right?" She then snapped her head back to McGee. "Why aren't you telling me he'll be okay Tim?" McGee looked at her, and held out his arms. She practically fell into him, wrapping her arms around him. "He's gonna be okay right? Both of them are?"

"They'll be fine Abby," he assured her, though at that point he was not sure if they were merely empty words of comfort.

Tony had left the bullpen, and paced the floor of the lounge waiting for Jenny to answer the phone. This was the third time he had tried to call her.

Meanwhile, in her childhood home, Jenny sat in the floor with the twins and the new puppy while Ava slept.

"No Leilah," she scolded, as the baby tugged on the dog's ear, "Don't do that. You'll hurt him." The little girl simply looked at her mother before reaching for the dog again, and not knowing what she planned to do, Jenny grabbed the child into her arms, setting her on her lap. She screamed, reaching for the puppy, jealous that her brother was allowed to play with her while she was not.

Jenny ignored her cries, thinking to herself the same thing she had been for the past few weeks. _Her daughter was an overachiever. She was shooting for her terrible twos a year early._ She diverted her attention to the coffee table as her ring tone resounded through out the room. It was the third time it had rung in the past fifteen minutes. Whoever was calling must find what they needed to say important. She snatched it off the table, and finding that it was Tony, answered it. "Hello?"

"_Finally," he sighed, "What took you so long?"_

"Excuse me?" she demanded. Their friendship did not give him the right to speak to her that way.

He ignored her offended tone, and continued, "Look, we need you down here. It's an emergency."

"I'm on maternity leave Tony," she stressed, "meaning I am taking leave to be a mother. Vance is there to deal with these things." Leilah whined, trying to wriggle out of her lap, and Jenny fixed her with a look, though it did not make much of a difference. She caught Noemi's eye as the Latina walked through the living room. She mouthed for her to watch Jacob and Oreo. At her nod, Jenny moved to her feet, heading up the stairs, and set her daughter in her crib, before shutting the door behind her.

"Jenny!" he snapped, "Look a girl. Her name's Maddie. She was Kelly's best friend. She got abducted, boss has been going a little nuts. They called, they wanted money. He just left here with his gun and no badge. We don't know what he's going to do."

Jenny sighed, cursing the man in question, already jogging down the stairs. "Tail him," she snapped, ending the call.

**A/n: Oh snapsicles! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n: Hiya guys! Sorry this chapter is kinda short, but it's how it went in my head so you know…lol :D Hope you like it anyways!**

Tony stood at the gate, watching the docks for any sign of his boss, or the girl, Maddie; anything. He squinted through the gates at a sudden uproar of noise. He heard yelling mingled with the sound of gunshots exploding through the air. He saw a silver Ford go speeding backwards into the water, and cursed, taking off at a sprint. He ran through the tunnel, firing off rounds. One. Two. Three. He was focused only on making it to that car. He tossed his gun, and it skidded across the dock. He dived into the water with a splash. He headed straight for Gibbs' side, checking that it was really him.

He pulled at the glass of the windshield. When he finally got it off, Gibbs' pushed the girl into his hands, and he grabbed her, pushing his way to the surface.

Gibbs watched, making sure they had made it to the top, and only then, did his body give up the fight between consciousness and unconsciousness. He was assaulted by the impossibly bright images of Kelly and Shannon; just like the last time he had seen them. Kelly was still his little girl, blue eyes, tan skin, and pigtails. Shannon was just the way he remembered her, her face smooth of lines and wrinkles, her smile as bright as ever, her copper hair on fire.

Up on the dock, Tony tried CPR on the still unconscious blonde. "Come on!" he huffed, "Come on!" He pressed against her chest, counting in his head. He looked up, hearing the sound of heels against the planks. Running down the dock, in a full sprint, was Jenny.

"Where is he?" she demanded, and only then did he realize that his boss had not surfaced. At his wild look, the red head made the connection. "Shit!" she hissed, picking up speed, and kicked off her shoes as she ran.

She dived into the water, Tony on her heels. With their combined efforts, they managed to get him out of the clutches of the car. Tony swam to the surface with him, and Jenny moved to take off after them, only to find, to her horror, that her foot was tangled in the seat belt. She reached over, tugging at it, pulling with everything she had; but it was to no avail. She started to panic, tugging harder, and she finally yanked herself free, but at the expense of feeling something snap in her ankle.

She pushed her way to the surface, coughing and gasping. She waded over to the edge, pulling herself up, with Tony's help. She ignored the burning concern in his eyes, simply saying, "You take her. I'll take him."

Gibbs, still in his reverie of unconsciousness, watched as Kelly spoke to him. He missed that voice, the voice of his eight-year-old little girl. "Go back," she said, "Go back daddy. Go back." Suddenly, she disappeared, and he spun as a ghost of color trailed over his head. The ghost quickly took the form of Kelly, not eight-year-old Kelly, but twenty- one year old Kelly, as he had seen her only several days previously. "Come back daddy," she said, "I'm here. Come back."

Shannon appeared at her side, again as he had seen her recently. "We're both here Jethro. You have to come back."

Next, there was Jenny, the twins at her feet, Ava in her arms. Their eyes met, and she murmured his name, "Jethro." That was all she needed to say. Her eyes said it all.

He gasped, choking up water, and he swore he saw Jenny's face, her hand on her forehead, her auburn hair sticking to her face and neck. But he had to be wrong. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, she was gone.

Meanwhile, Jenny had walked away. She was furious. What he did was careless, and reckless, and…him. She would not have expected any less from him, but the fact that he did it is what had her so angry. He very well could have died.

She barely registered the sirens in the background, or Tony's voice, until he came up behind her. "Jenny," he called, resting a hand to hers shoulder.

She jumped slightly, spinning to face him, surprise in her eyes. She relaxed immediately though, finding who it was. "What Tony?" she demanded.

"Look, maybe you ought to stay. Let the paramedics check you out."

"I am fine Tony," she snapped, though the searing pain in her ankle proved quite the opposite. She felt as if it could very well collapse from beneath her at any second. And she was freezing. In truth, she just wanted to go home.

Five hours later, Jenny sat at home in front of her fireplace, dressed in her pajamas, wrapped up in a wool throw blanket, a glass of bourbon-spiked tea in her hands. She was still freezing. She couldn't seem to get warm. She had wrapped an ACE bandage around her ankle. She was almost positive it was sprained. The pain seemed to be intensifying by the hour, if that were possible.

She barely looked up at the sound of the door opening and closing, but she set her mouth in a grim line as the reflection of the flames danced in her eyes.

"Jen?" Gibbs growled, stepping into the study. Before she could even think of moving, he was at her side, spinning her to face him. "What the hell were you thinking Jenny?" he demanded.

She glared, moving to her feet, shucking the blanket off her shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself as she did so. She breezed past him, heading in the direction of the kitchen. He was quick on her heels, pulling her back, and pinned her against the kitchen wall.

"Let go of me Jethro," she growled in warning, pushing against him.

"What were you doing at those docks today Jenny?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she snapped, finally managing to push past him.

"You were supposed to be home," he growled adamantly.

"And what?" she demanded, "Have one of your agents tell me at _home_ that you were dead?" She scoffed. "Honestly Jethro! What on earth were you thinking? You know that if Tony had not been there, _you_ would not be here now." They stood in silence for some time, before she spoke again, softer this time. "Who is she Jethro?" she asked, "That you would risk your life, your career, your family, to help her?"

"Family friend," he muttered, and she immediately noticed the signs. He was shutting off.

"How many years ago?" she demanded, "Five Ten?"

"Fifteen!" he snapped.

"So it's true? She was Kelly's friend?" His silence was answer enough. "Still Jethro, _Kelly _is here. She is back in your life, and you were willing to throw that away for a girl you knew nearly fifteen years ago?"

He sighed wearily, sinking into the kitchen chair. "She reminded me of Kelly. I wasn't there for her, but I could be there for Maddie."

"Jethro when are you going to get it through your thick skull that you wouldn't have been here for anybody anymore. What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded, her voice rising, "It is _not_ just you anymore!"

"You think I don't know that?"

"No Jethro!" she growled, "Obviously you don't." He pulled her to him in a bruising kiss, instantly concerned at how warm her face was. She ripped her lips away from his, pushing him away from her with all the strength she had; which at that point, was not very much. "Get away from me Jethro," she hissed.

He held fast to her. "I'm sorry Jen."

"What?" she scoffed, "You think you can keep breaking your stupid rule, and everything is fine again. You think you can just waltz in here with an, 'I'm sorry' and everything is just _fine_? You almost _died _Jethro." He opened his mouth to speak, and she cut him off. "Well this time you can."

He hugged her to him, and only then, did he realize again, just how warm she was. Looking at her more closely, he took in her slightly paler pallor, her red tinted nostrils, watery eyes. "You alright Jen?" he asked, concern in his eyes, moving her over to the table.

"I'm fine Jethro," she sighed, clearing her throat. In truth, she felt exactly the opposite.

"Jenny you're burning up," he said.

"I'm _fine_," she insisted, moving to her feet, though her vision crossed temporarily, and she faltered.

"Jenny you aren't fine."

The next morning, Jenny groaned at the sound of the sound of the doorbell. "Get the door Jethro," she moaned, pulling her pillow over her head.

He mumbled something ineligible, and rolled out of bed. He stumbled down the stairs, running a hand through his Marine cut. Trudging into the foyer, he looked through the peephole, confused at finding Shannon on the other side of the door, Kelly at her side. He swung the door open, but before he could speak, she shot through the entrance.

"Jethro," she sighed, "Jethro."

He looked to Kelly, who simply shook her head, before turning to Shannon again. "You alright Shan?" he mumbled, and she snapped her neck to him.

"No _Jethro_ I am not alright," she snapped, shoving a newspaper into his chest.

Any grogginess quickly drained from his face, along with the color, at the headline. Written in bold, black letters, _Ex Marine turned Federal Agent's Wife and Daughter Rise from the Dead after Fifteen Years._

"Jethro," she sighed, "My mother is going to have a heart attack! Or a stroke! How could I forget to tell my mother?" She ran a harried hand through her hair, and turned to him eyes wide, "Jethro I can't call her. She won't be able to take it. Jethro you have to call her."

"Shannon!" he snapped, and she clamped her mouth shut. His voice softened. "I'll call her. Don't worry about it."

He disappeared into the kitchen, grabbing the home phone off its hook. Just as he was about to dial the number, he groaned at the sound of the doorbell? _What was it with early morning house calls today?_

He stepped into the living room, waving Kelly down, as she had moved to answer the door. Not bothering to look who it was, he swung the door open, and instantly wished he had not. On his porch was Maddie Tyler.

"Hi," she smiled nervously. "I know it's early. I'm um, I'm going back home though tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure I got the chance to say thank you. I don't know what I would've done if-"

She was cut off as Kelly came around the corner with curiosity. "Daddy who was-" She stopped seeing the blonde in the doorway.

**A/n: So again, I hope you liked it :) Eeek! Next chapter Kelly and Maddie!**

**Brii Taylor, basket-case1880, NCIS FTW, ladybugsmomma, Fiva4Tiva, paris chica, Herky Illiniwek, danielle007, JET1967, DS2010, KellyGibbsNCIS, Sugarland26, and TeamCarlisleandEsme8, you guys are the total BOMB! *Hearts***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: Hiiiii! I'm back guys! :) I'm really sorry for not updating faster. Time just really got away from me :( . I hope everybody had a nice Christmas, or Hanukkah, or that Kwanza is going well. Whatever you celebrate, I hope it was a good year for you :D So sorry again, but here's a nice long chapter for you. Hope you enjoy it.**

**BTW: This chapter is now dubbed an M rated chapter, for a little hanky panky ;) But yeah, it's not too much, so it's not to hard to skip through if it's not your thing.**

"Kelly," Maddie choked, rushing forward to embrace her childhood friend. They finally laughed through their tears, and Maddie was the one to pull back, swiping at hers. "How?" she asked incredulously, "You're supposed to be dead. They told me you were you were dead."

"Witness Protection," Kelly answered, "Cliché right?"

"Yeah," Maddie laughed, but realization dawned on her, and she spun to face Gibbs. "You knew," she accused. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"Wasn't the time," he replied simply. "And then you were kidnapped."

She nodded, and turned back to her friend. "You look different. You're blonde like me," she joked, and Kelly rolled her eyes.

"You have to meet some people," she said, biting her lip. They're great. My dad's whole team. You're going to love them, and I have brothers and sisters. Remember how we used to plot on how to get me one?" she laughed. "And my step-mom, well not really, but she may as well be. She's the best."

Kelly's enthusiastic rambling was cut off as the woman in question descended the stairs. "Jethro?" she called, "Who was at the-?" She stopped, meeting all four pairs of eyes, all of them blue, three of which were familiar, one which was not.

Kelly spoke up, eyeing Jenny in concern. "Jenny are you okay?" she asked. The red head was paler than normal, and her normally vibrant green eyes were dull, and full of exhaustion. Her eyes were bloodshot and watery. She looked awful.

"I'm fine," Jenny assured the younger woman, before turning to the other blonde beside her. "You must be Maddie."

Maddie smiled, holding out her hand, but Jenny waved it away politely. "I might be coming down with something," she offered as way of an apology, and the blonde, nodded, taking a few steps back. She directed her next statement at the entire room, excusing herself. "If you all don't mind, I think I'll head back to bed." Her gaze lingered on Gibbs just a bit longer than anyone else, as he had been burning a hole into the back of her head since she walked into the room.

Once she had disappeared back up the stairs, and Kelly and Maddie had retreated to the home theatre, Gibbs turned to Shannon. "I'll be back," he said, and she nodded, taking a seat on the couch.

He moved bounded up the steps, moving quickly down the hall, and into the bedroom he and Jenny shared. "Jenny," he sighed, her rattling cough sending panic waves of panic through his brain. "You really sound fine," he snapped sarcastically, resting a hand to her forehead once more, finding that she was hotter than the previous night. "I'm calling Ducky," he said, his voice giving no room to argue, but, she tried.

"Jethro do not call him at seven 'o clock in the morning," she protested, but he had already pulled out his phone.

"Yeah Duck, its me," he said, matching the glare Jenny was giving him, "Need you to come check Jenny out." He ended the call, and tossed the phone on the bed. "He's on his way."

"Jethro," she moaned in frustration, flopping back against the pillows.

Within the hour, Ducky had arrived on her doorstep, and currently stood in Jenny's bedroom, holding a thermometer in her mouth. "102 Jennifer," he sighed, "I think you've come down with a case of bronchitis. I'm going to give you a prescription for some antibiotics, and after forty-eight hours, you should no longer be contagious. In the meantime though, I suggest you keep your distance from the children."

"Fine," she sighed, taking the paper from him.

"Thanks Duck," Gibbs said from his place at the back of the room.

Once he had gotten Jenny to consider sleep, he made his way back down stairs, finding a still anxious Shannon sitting there.

Ten minutes later, he came out of the kitchen, and she nearly jumped out of her seat. "She'll be here in two days," he said.

"What did you tell her?" she demanded.

"That I needed to talk to her about you and Kelly. That it needed to be done in person."

"You mean you didn't tell her?" she demanded, "Jethro she'll have a heart attack when she sees us."

"She'll have a heart attack if I tell her on the phone too," he muttered, he never had much liked his mother in law.

"Jethro!" she breathed.

"Shannon, if she has a heart attack it's better if she's around people right? If I go back and call her, she'll be at home, alone."

**~ 48 Hours Later ~**

After being dosed up on antibiotics for two days, Jenny was up, and back to her old self, despite the lingering cough. "Jethro," she snapped, storming down the stairs, dressed for work in a fitted, black skirt suit, a pair of oversized, square sunglasses on her head. Ava was just over a month old, and Jenny was getting restless. She was _not _a stay at home mother. She needed to get back to work before Vance caused too much trouble. "Jethro!" she snapped again, irritated at not being able to find him, "Jethro, where are-!" She stopped, almost running head first into him at the foot of the stairs. "Ready?" she asked, and he nodded, rolling his eyes.

She smiled, breezing past him, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor, sliding her glasses down over her eyes. He rolled his eyes, following behind her, locking the door behind them.

In the car, Gibbs turned to the station he had been listening to every morning, and Kenny Roger's Coward of the Country started playing. "Jethro," she sighed, "No."

"Jenny I listen to the same station every morning."

"Not with me in the car," she reminded him pointedly. At his glare, she eyed him pleadingly. "Jethro my ears are starting to bleed. I cannot listen to this anymore," she sighed in exasperation, switching off the radio.

"So silence is better?" he challenged.

She turned her entire body to face him, and said, with conviction, "Jethro, _anything_ is better than _that_." And he had to chuckle, pulling through the stoplight as it turned green.

Jenny stepped off the elevator, her eyes on her blackberry, and Gibbs followed behind her, walking past her and into the bullpen. He took his seat as she walked past the bullpen, and up the stairs.

Just as her office doors closed behind her, the elevator doors opened with a ding, and a now six months pregnant Ziva stepped off, followed by Tony, both of them bickering. As they drew closer, he could make out what they were saying.

"Tony we are not naming our son after Sean Connery," she snapped, "Or the Duke."

"Come on Ziva," he protested, "Sean or John. That's not a bad name.

She scoffed, taking her seat, but before her butt touched the chair, Gibbs stood, grabbing his things. "We got a call," he said already on his way to the elevator. The doors opened, and McGee stood there. He eyed his boss in question, but at seeing everyone, gear in hand, he stepped back in.

An hour and a half later, Jenny sat in her office, reading over the files Vance had left her, when her phone rang. "Shepard," she answered in her customary business tone, not bothering to check the caller ID. And so, she was not expecting to hear Kelly's frantic voice on the other end.

"_Jenny?" Kelly asked, her voice full of panic._

"Kelly what's wrong?" Jenny demanded, standing from her chair.

"_It's my dad. He's-channel-Turn to channel three," she fumbled in exasperation._

Jenny grabbed the remote off her desk, turning to channel three as directed. The picture on the screen made her heart drop. Gibbs moved out onto the ledge of some building, moving toward an extremely unstable looking man. "Jethro what the hell are you doing?" she muttered, forgetting that his daughter was on the other end of the phone call.

"_Jenny, do something please," Kelly urged, reminding the red head of her presence._

Jenny opened her mouth to reassure the young woman, but both of them gasped in fear at what happened next. A sniper's round flew through the air, hitting the dark haired man in the chest, and Gibbs snatched at the air, as the man fell to the ground below. Loosing his footing, he slipped over the edge, holding fast to the edge of the building. "Oh my God," Jenny breathed, her heart hammering in her chest. Kelly was by then hysterical, pleading with the red head, asking things, she knew Jenny could not do. Seeing that the address at the bottom of the screen was not ten minutes from where she was, five if she sped, she threw the doors to her office open. "Kelly I will call you back," Jenny assured her, already running down the stairs, despite her three inch heels. She ended the call, jabbing at the elevator button, dashing through it when the doors opened.

Precisely five minutes later, she skidded into he parking lot full with police, and firemen, and ambulances, as well as every news station in the city. Looking up, squinting into the sun, she was able to make out Gibbs, dangling from the building. How he was still managing to do that, she had no idea.

She ducked under the caution tape, flashing her badge at the over zealous rookie local who tried to stop her. He stepped back, catching sight of the word Director, and she took off towards the building.

It took her five minutes to make it up ten flights of stairs, and by the time she made it to the roof, she was out of breath.

Tony and Tim looked up at the sound of the door opening, and shock crossed their faces at seeing their read headed leader, her expression livid, a sheen of perspiration on her forehead. "What the hell happened?" she demanded, switching places with Tony in the chain of people, attempting to pull Gibbs up. She kicked off her shoes, jumping up to hold onto McGee's feet. Tony hesitated at seeing her skirt hiked up, making it quite easy to see her green, lace underwear. "Tony," she growled, and he shook himself, grabbing her waist, and tugged with all his strength. In turn Jenny tugged on McGee, and McGee pulled at Gibbs hands, pulling him up just a little bit more.

"Almost up," he huffed, "Pull harder!"

They did as they were told, and with one more heave of strength, he was up, and over the transformer. Gibbs collapsed on top of the box, his chest heaving. "Did good McGee," he huffed, slapping the younger man on the back.

Both men dropped to the roof, and seeing the glare their boss was getting from his boss, they made quick work of coming up with reasons for them to leave.

Once they had arrived back at NCIS, Jenny dragged Gibbs up to her office, and locked the doors behind them.

She advanced on him, smacking him up side his head over, and over, and over. "What…is wrong with…you?" she demanded, emphasizing each word with a slap to the head, "You could've _killed _yourself. You stupid son of a bitch."

"I was doing my _job_ Jenny!" he yelled, in her face.

"I don't care!" she screamed, though she knew that she was no longer being rational; she had never been rational.

"I can't do this any more Jethro," she whispered, "I can't. Every time something like this happens, every time I send you out to some scene, I don't worry because I'm your boss, and you are my best agent. I _worry _because you are the father of my children, because you are the man I share my bed with every night. As the Director, I am supposed to be able to handle putting my agents in danger while I deal with the politicians. I can't drop my job, and run out after one of them. Jethro, I can't be rational when it comes to you anymore. I can't do this."

"Jenny," he growled, grabbing her by her forearms, "You were never rational when it came to me. If you were rational, you would've fired me a long time ago. You're _good _at your_ job _Jenny_." _

"Jethro," she started, but he cut her off.

"Jenny!" he snapped, "If you were rational, you wouldn't have the job you have. It's not _rational _to go to heads with the Secretary of the Navy over the NCIS budget, or to go to heads with the Director of the CIA for a probie, but you did. Jenny you wouldn't have the reputation you do if you were _rational_."

"Jethro," she started in protest once more, but he cut her off, pressing his lips to hers.

She moaned, shutting her eyes, and wrapped her arms around his neck, fisting her hands in his hair. _She did not do this. She had never done this. She kept their relationship out of the office, out of her office, but right now, she needed this; despite the fact that it only further proved her point._

He stripped her of her jacket, pinning her up against the wall. He hiked her skirt up around her waist, and thrust into her. She bit her lip in an attempt to muffle the sounds his actions were threatening to pull from her throat. "God," she moaned quietly.

Her breathing grew heavy and labored as he continued to thrust. She hummed, swallowing thickly, and she gasped, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as her chest heaved. She groaned, fighting her cries, and wrapped her legs tighter around him. "Faster," she breathed. "We need-" she stopped when he hit just the right spot, pulling a moan from her. "God!" she breathed. "Jethro we have to be-Oh God!-We have to be…quick." She dug her nails into his neck, feeling herself coming undone.

Her breathing could only be described as panting, as she tipped closer and closer to the edge. She buried her face in his neck, biting so hard on her lip she drew blood, and even still, a small cry escaped her lips as she saw stars, vaguely registering him mumbling her name in the background.

He slid out of her, setting her on her feet, holding her steady. She slid down the wall, in a post coital haze as he zipped his pants. "Irrational isn't so bad," he joked, and she laughed languidly, her eyes heavy.

An hour later, Gibbs strode into MTAC, followed by McGee, where Jenny stood, her face the picture of professionalism. "Special Agent Gibbs, Captain Walsh," she said, making quick introductions, her tone giving no indication of what had happened in her office less than ninety minutes previously, "Lieutenant Arnett's CO."

"You're a hard man to reach," Gibbs challenged.

"My hands were tied, " Captain Walsh explained, "I had to talk to the Director of National Security to get permission to talk to you."

Gibbs turned to Jenny, and she eyed him apologetically. "SecNav has to make a decision."

After a match of sharp words between the men, Captain Walsh ended it with a low blow, "If you had done your job, and pulled Arnett of that ledge, my best man wouldn't be dead. So you'd better be working on it, " he snapped.

Jenny failed to keep her expression impassive, and drew in a sharp breath at the Captain's harsh words.

Later that evening, Jenny sat in her office with Gibbs, under the dim lighting of her office. "Anything so far?" she asked, sticking a bite of steak in her mouth.

He shook his head, slowly, the gears in his head still turning. "Still looking at the wife."

She nodded, and bit her lip mischeviously, reaching across to grab the asparagus off his plate, only to be thwarted by his fork. She grinned. "You aren't going to eat it," she protested, though she knew perfectly well that he would. He fixed her with a look, and raked the vegetables onto her plate. "Thank you," she smiled, sticking a piece of one in her mouth. Checking her watch, Jenny jumped at the time. "I have the analyst who was in contact with Lt. Arnett," she said, "She should be here now actually." She made quick work of cleaning up their mess, and turned to the silver haired man in the chair behind her. She turned off the light illuminating his face so that the only light left was the one on her desk. "Keep quiet until I can talk to her."

Jenny walked through the doors to the outside area of her office, smiling at the young analyst waiting there. "Director Shepard," the woman greeted.

"I appreciate you getting here so fast," Jenny sighed, setting a particularly large stack of folders on her desk.

"No problem," the dark skinned woman assured her.

"Is something wrong Nikki?" Jenny asked, taking in the woman's perturbed expression.

"May I be frank?" Nikki asked.

"Of course," Jenny said, motioning the woman into her office.

"I know that I'm only a low level NCIS analyst," Nikki started, following behind her, and I am more than happy to do whatever the agency requires of me," she assured her boss, as the red head took a seat behind her desk, "But I resent, having a rude message left on my phone by Special Agent Gibbs." Jenny opened her mouth to neutralize the situation before the analyst said something too offending as she had failed to notice that Gibbs sat on the couch behind her, hidden by the shadows, but the younger woman continued. "With no explanation at all, and in the most condescending and _insulting _manner, he demanded that I get in here immediately. He certainly lives up to his reputation!"

"Special Agent Gibbs isn't know for his, people skills," Jenny explained, and Nikki apologized.

"I'm sorry, Director Shepard. I just, needed to vent. Um…what's this about?"

Finally Gibbs spoke up from behind her. "You don't know?" he demanded, and the analyst looked behind her, as he came into view, turning back to her boss, eyes wide. Jenny eyed her apologetically as Gibbs came up beside the woman.

After briefing the young woman on her new assignment to Gibbs' team, Gibbs simply said, "Report to the squad room 0700."

Nikki nodded, turning on her heel, and tugged her sleeve down before touching the door handle, an action which caused both of the people remaining in the office to share a look.

Gibbs stood against Jenny's door the next morning, rattling the handle impatiently while the new, and unwelcome, if temporary, addition to his team, briefed Jenny on her findings. Once he assumed she had finished, he asked for confirmation.

"Yes," she answered, and he crossed the room, grabbing Jenny's glasses from the table so that he could read the message on his phone, earning him a glare from her.

"Pentagon just sent Arnett's files," he said before leaving the room without another word.

Jenny lifted her glasses from the table, moving them closer to herself, obviously annoyed. Nikki hesitated a moment before asking, "Is he always this…" she trailed off, not exactly sure how to describe him.

"Impatient?" Jenny snapped, supplying a PC word for her, though she would have much rather used something else.

"Not exactly the word I was looking for," Nikki smiled.

Later in the day, Jenny and Gibbs stood in observation, looking in on McGee's interrogation. She smiled as the notarized computer geek, attempted to enforce his authority. "Looks like McGee has your mad act down," she mused.

"Almost," he smiled, amused.

"I heard your agents are pitted against each other," she said, attempting to get him to talk to her. She had no luck the previous night, and she figured, if she prodded enough, he would either talk, or snap some excited utterance. "Wasn't that Gibbs' rule number fifteen? Always work as a team."

"Not on this one."

Her gaze softened. She could see he was beating himself up over this one. "No one could've saved him Jethro. He was dead the moment he stepped out on that ledge."

"That what I tell his sister?" he asked sarcastically, though the anguish in her voice made her move just close enough to hide their hands from the techs in the room, and take his in hers. She squeezed gently, and they returned to observing the interrogation as if nothing were different.

That night, Jenny descended the stairs, after finishing her paperwork. To her surprise, she heard the low rumble of Gibbs' voice. She thought he had gone home already. It was 2200. As she drew closer, she could make out his side of the conversation. "I'm sorry for your loss Rachel," he said, and it was clear, from his expression, that he was not so detached from the case as his customary apology might imply.

He ended the phone call, and she stepped out of the shadows, purse in hand. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he nodded, standing, without a word. She stayed rooted to the spot, watching him as he gathered his things.

"Think I might give my dad a call," he said, and she smiled softly, nodding.

**A/n: Sooo…long chapter, but still a lot of questions left unanswered. How are thing's going to play out with Shannon's mom? Meeting Jenny and the twins, finding out about her daughter and granddaughter. How about Gibbs' dad? Akward much? And of course, what's going on with Ziva and Tony? Abby and McGee? What's up with Maddie? Are Shannon and Gibbs still legal? So many questions lol. No worries though :) They'll all be answered in good time! :)**

**Thanks for reading luvs :D Really do hope you liked it, especially since it's been so long since I updated. And special thanks to my reviewers, ****I-AM-RIVER-SONG**** , ****Tempe4Booth****, ****JiBbS-tIvA4eVs****, ****paris chica****, ****Fiva4Tiva****, ****ladybugsmomma****, ****basket-case1880****, ****TeamCarlisleandEsme8****, ****DS2010****, ****NCIS FTW****, ****DD Agent****, and ****Brii Taylor****. **

***Hearts Guys!***


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! Here's a new one to ring in the new year! And it's actually up in good time :)**

**Enjoy!**

She could not for the life of her guess where he was. His voice sounded muffled as if he were underground; or at the least, at the back of the house. Then, a thought dawned on her, and she cringed. "Shit!" she hissed, forgetting temporarily about the children, just over a year old, who were repeating everything they heard as of late.

"Shit," Leilah murmured, and Jenny gasped, bring a hand to her mouth.

She squatted down to her daughter's level. "Leilah, that's a bad word. Do not say that word. Mommy shouldn't have said it." Leilah no longer seemed interested in her mother, or what she was saying. Instead, her artwork was getting her full attention. Jenny rolled her eyes as Gibbs called her name again, this time sounding closer. "What?" she snapped, and he appeared in the doorway.

"We have a basement?" he demanded

"Yes Jethro," she sighed contritely, "We have a basement."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Maybe because I didn't want you building a yacht down there," she said with a laugh.

Out of nowhere, Leilah, spoke up, still scribbling on her paper: "Shit, shit, shit."

Jethro looked to Jenny incredulously, and she was unable to stifle a giggle. "It was an accident," she apologized.

"The door is locked," he said.

That realization dawned on her, and she narrowed her eyes. "It is. So, how did you know that it was a basement."

He smirked. "I didn't." At her glare, he simply smiled. "Why is it locked?"

"We do have small children, Jethro," she snipped playfully, moving to her feet. She handed Ava to him, saying, "Watch them," before disappearing into the foyer. He heard her before he saw her, her keys jingling in her hand. He had set both of the twins in their playpens, and pulled out the tables for them so that they could continue to draw.

She continued toward the back of the house, where she knew the basement to be located, and slid the key into the lock, having to jiggle the door somewhat. The door in question had not been used for nearly five years. She stopped, turning to Gibbs. "Maybe you should put the baby down," she said, voicing her thoughts. "I haven't been down here in nearly five years."

After Ava had been put to sleep, they returned to the now unlocked basement. Jenny flipped the light switch at the top of the steps and stepped forward, only to have Jethro pull her back. She eyed him with question in her eyes, until he stepped in front of her, going down the steps first. She smiled softly, rolling her eyes. They took their time making it down the steps, moving carefully for fear of a splintering board or termite damage.

Once they made it down, Jethro looked around incredulously. Her basement was far larger than his. It would not be difficult to fit two boats inside. Unlike his basement, though, where you had to keep your shoes on for fear of contracting tetanus, hers had been finished. It was furnished with a large sectional, a media center, and a coffee table, among other things. It could have been a good room for entertaining in its prime; though now, it seemed to serve no greater purpose than storage. The lighting could use some work; what caught his eye though, was the large object in the back corner of the room, covered by what appeared to be a sheet.

He crossed the room to toss the cover off of it, revealing a Mason and Hamlin baby grand. "You play the piano?" he asked skeptically.

"Used to," she murmured, making her way across the room, and took her seat at the instrument. She tested a few keys, surprised to find that it was still tuned fairly well. She started out, testing her skills with Beethoven's fairly simple _Moonlight Sonata_. She smiled as she played, the keys feeling familiar under her fingers.

She stopped mid key, and moved into a far more difficult piece, one she had spent months poring over as an adolescent: Chopin's _Fantasie Impromptu_. She played the first few keys without hesitation, though her face was the picture of concentration. Soon though, she played with ease, the notes coming to her as if the music were right in front of her.

Gibbs moved to his feet as he was pulled out of his reverie by the doorbell, though Jenny continued to play, a soft smile on her face. He climbed the stairs, making his way through the house, stopping at the front door. He swung it open to reveal Kelly in the doorway. "Hi daddy," she greeted, a smile on her face. She hugged him before stepping inside, but stopped as she grew closer to the basement, and Jenny's playing intensified in volume. "What's that?" she whispered, inching toward the basement.

"Jenny," he said simply, and she turned to him incredulously.

"She plays? She's _really _good," she breathed, making her way down the stairs, her father behind her. She smiled when she reached the foot of the stairs. The red head came into view, her fingers flying across the keys. She played the last note, and Kelly stepped forward, her voice startling Jenny.

"How did you learn to play like that?" she asked incredulously.

"I didn't know I still could," Jenny sighed, dragging her fingers along the instrument.

"Can you teach me?" Kelly asked, dropping her purse. Jenny eyed her in shock.

"Teach you?" she repeated uncertainly. Kelly nodded. Jenny smiled softly "Play something," she said, moving from the bench so that Kelly could sit down. The brunette started to play Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_, though not to the same par. "Relax your fingers," Jenny offered, resting her hands over the younger woman's. Kelly did as she was told, smiling as her tone immediately improved.

Gibbs took a seat, unable to suppress a smile, watching the two of them together.

Later that evening, Jenny jogged down the stairs, both twins on her hip, while Gibbs sat on the back porch with Kelly. At the foot of the stairs, Leilah whined, wriggling in her mother's arms. Jenny set her on the floor as the phone rang in the hallway. She snatched it up, heading into the kitchen, Leilah running in front of her. "Hello?" she answered.

"_Well I'll be damned! Leroy got 'imself a girl."_

She smiled. Only two people ever called Gibbs Leroy, and one of them was a woman. "He's got himself quite a few," she laughed.

Jackson laughed._ "Well, I finally figured out how to work that voicemail do-da thing, and Leroy left a message for me. Now Miss, I don't know how much you know about my son, but we haven't talked in quite some time." _

"I know enough. Give me a minute, and I'll find him for you."

"_Thank you," _Jackson said.

"Mama," Jacob whined, reaching for the goldfish on the counter, "Ma."

"I know, baby," she whispered, not sure how much Gibbs had told his father in his message. She grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet, pouring some of the crackers into it. She cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder, holding the bowl out. Jacob reached in, filling his small fist.

Finding that it was taking her quite a bit longer than she had intended to take care of the twins. She sat her son on the counter, setting the bowl of goldfish beside him. She snatched Leilah up, as she was only feet from the stove. She held the phone to her chest, and yelled, "Jethro!"

Within seconds he was in the doorway, eyeing her expectantly. She held out the phone, unable to gauge what his reaction would be. "It's your father," she said, and his expression went blank. He took the phone from her without a word, and disappeared up the stairs. She flinched at hearing a door slam from upstairs, and rolled her eyes at hearing the baby's shrill cries.

She did not dare curse in front of the twins, especially after the incident with Leilah. Kelly passed the kitchen, but not before sticking her head in. "I'll do it," she smiled.

"Thank you," Jenny sighed.

Several minutes later, Kelly strolled into the kitchen, a quieted Ava in her arms. "Say daddy woke me up," she cooed, before turning to Jenny. "What's wrong with him anyway?" she asked, casting a glance up the stairs.

"Your grandfather called," she sighed, and Kelly's head shot up.

"Grandpa Jack?" she asked. "_Grandpa Jack_ called _my_ dad?"

"Your father called him first," Jenny laughed, sipping from her glass.

"Well then why is he slamming doors?" she demanded.

"Why does he do anything he does?" she asked, sighing airily.

Kelly smiled and eyed the glass in Jenny's hand. "What are you drinking?"

"You are legal aren't you?" Jenny asked teasingly.

"Finally," Kelly laughed, and Jenny held out the glass for her to take. The brunette took it, sipping it hesitantly. Her eyebrows shot up, and she turned to the red head. "That's really good. Tastes like Moscato."

Jenny nodded, walking over to the fridge to take out the gourd shaped, blue bottle. "Beviamo, Mascato D'Asti," she read, before placing it back in its rightful place. "It was a gift from my sister."

"I like your sister."

An hour later, Gibbs came down the stairs, phone in hand, drawing expectant stares from the two women sitting in the living room. "He wants to come here," he sighed, sinking onto the couch, rubbing out the wrinkles between his brows.

"And what did you tell him?" Jenny asked softly.

"I'd think about it."

At that point, Kelly moved to her feet, eyeing her father incredulously. "Did you ever consider that maybe I might want to see him? He's my grandpa, Dad," she snapped. "You really need to stop holding such a grudge. You were like that even when I was a kid."

Gibbs watched in shock as she stormed off. He looked to Jenny, who was eyeing him with much the same livid expression Kelly had. "You told him about Shannon and Kelly?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Jethro, _what _is wrong with you?" she demanded, "You tell him that his granddaughter, who he thought was dead, as well as her mother, are alive. Then you tell him you'll _think _about letting him see them? _Grow up_," she snapped. "This is ridiculous. You're acting like a child. "

She followed after his daughter, and he got the unnerving feeling that he would be on the couch that night.

Jenny found Kelly in the nursery sitting with the twins on the floor, a one hundred piece puzzle in between them. "You okay?" she asked.

"I really wish he would let it go," she sighed.

Jenny groaned, dropping to the floor beside her. "I really hate getting old," she muttered, and Kelly laughed softly, adding another piece to the puzzle.

"Did you talk to him?" she asked. "He listens to you."

"You could say that," Jenny smiled, turning back to add another piece to the puzzle, stopping at seeing Leilah add several as well. "Leilah," she murmured, pushing the puzzle towards her, "Add another piece baby."

Leilah looked at her mother for a moment before moving to her feet and toddling over to the bookshelf. She picked up 'Ferdinand the Bull' and held it out to her mother. "Wead?" she asked.

Jenny smiled, taking the book from her daughter. The similarities between the two were already making themselves quite obvious. Jenny did not like being put on the spot and expected to perform on cue. Apparently, neither did Leilah.

"Is it okay if I stay for the night?" Kelly asked, "I don't like driving alone at night."

Jenny turned to her in surprise, but nodded. "Do you want to call your mom?"

Kelly shook her head. "She said it was fine if it got too late."

Jenny nodded, and began to read.

"Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Abby and McGee walked into Abby's favorite vegetarian restaurant, Bossa Organic Bistro & Lounge. They had been together for nine months now, and they seemed almost perfect for each other.

"Tim, are you okay?" Abby asked skeptically. He had been on edge since they left the house.

"Yeah," he assured her, pulling out her chair for her. "I'm good. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked, "Because…you don't look fine."

"I'm fine, Abby."

"Okay." She nodded, then grinned. "I love their food here. It's so good," she murmured.

Thirty minutes later, after a salad of mixed greens, avocado, and sliced oranges, topped with a ginger dressing, and black bean soup, they were ready to order their entrée.

"Um…can I have the Berinjela da Eliz?" Abby asked.

Their waitress nodded. "It's very good," she said, before turning to McGee expectantly.

"I'll have the Filet a Mineira." He was glad that despite serving very good vegetarian dishes, they still had a good steak for those partial to the idea.

As they sat at the table waiting for their server to come back with McGee's card, Abby's phone buzzed in her purse. She dug through the bag, and grabbed it, opening the text without looking at who it was from. A look of absolute shock crossed her face as she read it. 'Will you marry me?' She looked up, and her breath hitched at the black velvet box McGee held out in front of her. Encased in the box was a gorgeous double banded black diamond engagement ring. The bands were made of white gold, with alternating black and white diamonds. Set between the bands was an oval cut, four caratblack diamond set in platinum prongs.

"McGee?" she gasped.

"Will you marry me Abby?"

She grinned, and jumped out of her chair, tossing her arms around his neck. "Yes!" she squealed, "Of course I'll marry you, Timmy! Oh my gosh!" He laughed as she pulled away, holding out her left hand. He slid the ring on her finger, and she gasped again. "Oh my God, Tim, it's gorgeous! I love it!" She grinned, pressing her lips to his in a quick kiss before holding her hand out to admire the newly permanent fixture there.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Jenny rolled out of bed, threading her fingers through her hair. She grabbed her pink robe off of the rocking chair, and sighed as Ava's cries reached her ears. She padded down the hall, into her daughter's room, and lifted her out of her crib. "What's the matter Ave?" she sighed, "Are you hungry?" The way the baby smacked her mouth answered her question, and she took a seat on the lounge chair behind her, knowing that she could be there for quite some time.

Fifteen minutes later, she made her way down the stairs, Ava in her arms. "Jethro?" she called. He had, in fact slept on the couch the previous night, and she intended to find him; she hoped to talk some sense into him. Finally she found him in the living room. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, a devilish smile on her face. He glared without a word. "Have you changed your mind, or did you like your sleeping place?"

"Jen," he growled in warning, and she smiled, taking a seat across from him.

They both looked up at the ringing of the doorbell, and Jenny moved to her feet. "I'll get it," she offered, placing Ava in his arms.

She swung the door open, her brows knitting in confusion at the elderly man on her doorstep. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Is this Leroy Gibbs' house?" he queried, setting his bags on the porch. "I sure hope so, because I don't think I can carry these bags back down those steps."

Jenny laughed, and she was immediately able to place his familiar, ice blue eyes. "You've got the right house, Mr. Gibbs. Come on in."

"Thank you," he huffed, and she took moved to take his bags from him, only to have him wave her off. "It's alright. Lady shouldn't have to carry anything when there's a man around to do it."

She cocked a brow in amusement. She could certainly see where Gibbs got his chauvinism from. She shut the door behind him, and he stepped inside, holding out his hand. "Jackson Gibbs, pleasure to meet you."

"Jenny Shepard," she introduced herself, taking the offered hand. Before they could continue any further conversation, Gibbs appeared in the doorway.

"Leroy!" Jackson greeted his son, and Jenny had to force herself not to jump at the volume of his voice. Ava started to whine, and Jenny took her from Gibbs, quieting her.

"Thought you were coming next week," Gibbs said, eyeing his father in confusion.

"Drove the whole night. Couldn't wait," Jackson said before turning to Jenny, nodding to the baby in her arms. "Who's this one?" he asked, smiling.

"Ava," Jenny supplied, handing the baby to him.

He grinned at the baby, and she stepped back, leaning against Gibbs. "Ava. That's a pretty name for a pretty baby," Jackson murmured, "I'm your Grandpa Jack."

Thirty minutes later, Ava had started to fuss, and Jenny stood from her place on the couch, taking the baby from her grandfather. "I think she needs a nap." She gathered the baby's blanket, and looked to Jackson before turning to leave. "I can get the guest room together for you if you like. I'm sure you must be tired."

"That would be great," Jackson said gratefully, "Thank you."

Kelly appeared in the doorway, dressed in a pair of Jenny's pajamas, her hair tangled in a messy bun. She yawned, rubbing at her eyes. "Jenny? Where-?" she stopped at seeing the new face in the living room. "Grandpa Jack?" she breathed, rushing forward into his open arms.

"I missed you Kelly Bean," he murmured, holding his granddaughter tight, his eyes filling with tears.

That evening, Jackson sat on the couch with his son, while Kelly sat on the floor with Leilah and Jacob. "That woman you've got Leroy, Jenny" he started, "She's a good one. You'd better not screw it up."

Gibbs shook his head, smirking. "Trying not to dad."

As if on cue, Jenny's keys jingled in the door, and she appeared in the living room seconds later, dressed in her work attire: a blood red Oxford tucked into a black pencil skirt, and a pair of Louboutins on her feet.

"Hey," she sighed, smiling at Leilah and Jacob's squeal upon seeing her. "Hi," she laughed, looking down at the children attached to her legs. "Shannon stop by?" she asked, directing the question at Gibbs. She squatted down to kiss each of her children, managing to detach them from her legs for the time being. She then made her way over to the liquor cabinet, grabbing three glasses and a bottle of Booker's Bourbon.

Gibbs nodded. "She had to go to work though."

Jenny nodded, first pouring herself a glass, and then one for both men. Jackson watched as she took a sip, watching for the wince, but it never came. She smirked knowingly and turned on her heel with an, "I will be right back. I have to get out of these clothes.

Jackson looked after her, taking a sip from his own glass, and winced in surprise at the strength of the alcohol. He took the bottle, reading the proof, 126. He turned to his son, a mystified smirk on his face. "You better marry that woman Leroy."

Gibbs chuckled, shaking his head.

**A/n: So a lot going on now! Abby and McGee! Aww! Special thanks to my new beta, Brii Taylor!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Heey! How's life guys? lol. So here's the new chapter :) Sorry it took so long. My internet is down :( This was one of the few times I managed to get to a computer...**

**Anyway...Amanda, .CSI, PolkadottedAngels, paris chica, JET1967, danielle007, Fiva4Tiva, ladybugsmomma, basket-case1880, and TeamCarlisleandEsme8, thank you so much for reviewing! You are all absolutely lovely! :)**

**Enjoy!**

Jenny descended the stairs dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. Her face was bare of makeup, and her red locks were tossed into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Leilah pulled herself up, running to her mother, a wooden block in hand. She presented the block to her mother with a grin, and ran back to her place on the floor.

Jenny laughed. "Is this for me?" she asked, amused.

"Yeah," Leilah murmured, stacking the remaining blocks into a tower. She was reduced to a fit of delighted giggles when the blocks tumbled in front of her.

Jenny smiled, and looked down at her son, who was holding his arms up to her. She swung him onto her hip, and scrunched her nose at him. He shrieked in elation, sticking his fingers in his mouth.

Several hours later, the twins had been put to bed, and all three adults sat in conversation. They were interrupted by the shrill ringing of Jenny's phone. She cut her gaze to the offending object, and rolled her eyes at the name flashing on the screen. "I have to take this," she apologized, and moved to her feet. "Senator James," she snapped irritably. He was a chauvinistic pig of a man, and she despised dealing with him.

"_No sweetheart," an obnoxiously loud voice boasted through the speaker, his accent painfully Southern. "This is Eric Jones."_

She cocked a brow, the unprofessional term of endearment stopping her in her tracks. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she asked sweetly.

She smirked at the pause on the other end of the line before Mr. James continued. _"Now is that anyway for a secretary to act?" he sniped condescendingly. "Why don't you just be a doll, and get your Director on for me."_

She chuckled dryly. He was obviously new to politics. It was quite clear that no one had done him the courtesy of informing him of her gender. "Mr. James, I assure you, you are speaking with the right person. Now, _what is it that you want_?"

When he spoke again, his voice clearly depicted that he was irritated. _"Look lady, you just worry about answering the phones, and getting coffee. Don't worry your pretty little head about the politics."_

Gibbs shook his head when she pursed her lips and her eyes flashed. She straightened up to her full height, as if her opponent were standing in front of her.

Jackson turned to his son. "What?" he demanded.

"Some schmuck is about to get his ass handed to him," he muttered.

Sure enough, when Jenny spoke her voice was calm, certainly softer than before. Despite that, the room temperature seemed to drop several degrees the moment she opened her mouth. "I assure you Mr. James, the _politics_, as well as anything else that goes on inside my agency, is most _certainly_ my concern.

"_Your agency?" He laughed_.

"That's correct, Mr. James." she snapped. "_My_ agency. As I very kindly tried to tell you before, my name is Jenny Shepard, and I am the Director of NCIS." She paused before continuing. "Now I assume that you are calling on behalf of the Senator; more than likely because _you_ are little more than a secretary. Mr. James, you may inform your boss, that neither he, nor any of his employees, is to contact me on my personal line again. You may also tell him that _I _will be contacting _him _tomorrow morning at seven, during _work _hours. And Mr. James, you can rest assured that we will speak of our little chat. Now, I could say it's been a pleasure, but I wouldn't want to perjure myself so close to bedtime." She ended the call without waiting for a reply from him. She rolled her eyes in irritation, but stopped at the grin on Jackson's face.

He busted out in laughter. "I swear, this place is better than cable TV."

She laughed half-heartedly, reclaiming her seat in the armchair across from the two men.

The next morning, both Jenny and Gibbs were yanked from their slumber as the ringing of a phone sliced through the silence. She moaned, pulling her pillow over her head. He reached out blindly, grabbing the buzzing object. "Gibbs," he grumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

There was a pause, and then a confused, _"Agent Gibbs."_

"Yeah," he snapped, irritation edging into his voice.

"_Would you put Jennifer on please?"_

Gibbs knitted his brows in confusion, and pulled the phone away from his ear. He sighed. He had grabbed Jenny's phone. He simply held the phone out to her, and said, "SecNav."

Her eyes shot daggers at the offensive technology in his hand, and snatched it from him. "Shepard," she sighed, and he rolled over, presumably going back to sleep.

"_You and Agent Gibbs seem to be getting along nicely," he said. It was neither critical nor a mere observation._

She chose not to respond. Instead, she simply said, "With all due respect Sir, it's 0400."

"_Is it that early?" he queried. "I apologize Jennifer. I'm in London on a conference. The time difference hasn't quite taken effect yet."_

_Obviously._ "Yes Sir. But what is it that you called for?"

"_Right." The smile could be heard in his voice as he paused. She was unsure whether to smile with him or cringe. They did not always see eye to eye on what was 'good.' "Have you seen Forbes?"_

"No Sir. I haven't," she sighed. She had told him on countless instances that she did not read magazines.

"_You should. You just slid into the thirtieth spot on their list of 100 Most Powerful Women."_

That woke her up. "Me?" she demanded. _How did she make number thirty, when the majority of the population did not even know what NCIS was? _She tossed the covers back, and slid out of bed. She grabbed her robe off the rocking chair at her bed and slipped out of the room.

"_I've been telling you Jennifer; you are much more important than you think. They called in search of an interview, and-"_

She cut him off as she walked into the kitchen. "Sir. There is no room in my schedule for an interview. Our budget is under review, and our case load is heavier than normal. Free time is a luxury we don't have at this point."

"_I understand that. However, we need the publicity. With publicity, I'm sure will come leniency on the budget._

She narrowed her eyes. When she spoke her voice was tight with irritation. "And I understand _that_. However, should I focus on publicity before the actual agency, there will no longer be an agency to publicize. We will be receiving plenty of publicity, and none of it will be good."

He sighed. _"Fine, Director Shepard. I'll postpone the interview until after the budget review, but I want you to do the interview._

"Yes Sir," she agreed, a hint of victory in her voice. They ended the call quickly after that. She turned, and jumped, gasping at the sight of Gibbs in the doorway. "I really hate it when you do that," she sighed, leaning back against the counter.

Her only response was a smirk. "What did he want?" he asked. They were the same in that once they were awake, they were awake. There would be no getting back to sleep for either of them.

She combed her fingers through her tangled locks. "He wants me to do an interview."

"He called at 0400 to tell you that?" he demanded, moving to the coffee maker.

"He's in London," she murmured distastefully. "There's a five hour time difference." He grunted in acknowledgement, dumping coffee grounds into the coffee maker.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hours later, the team sat at their desks, catching up on unfinished work. Tony though, had to be an instigator. He was doing everything in his power to agitate his partner. He planned to win their bet; she would snap at him by the end of the day.

He grinned, and tore the tip of his straw paper off. He held the straw up to his lips, sending the paper flying across the room. Ziva jumped as it hit her in the face. She simply glared. She was regretting their bet. When she returned her attention to her computer, he stuck the remaining paper in his mouth, and held the straw to his lips once more.

She shot out of her chair, and crossed the room, "Don't you have paperwork Dinozzo?" she snapped.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He grinned. "I take the paper, and make it work." He shot another spitball, and she gasped. She narrowed her eyes, and he motioned to her head, as she had it still stuck in her mass of curls.

Ziva brushed it out of her hair as she walked back to her desk. Abby ran into the bullpen cheering. "Yay! Tonight's the night!"

"What night?" Tony demanded.

"Brain Matter," she reminded them, her grin never faltering.

"Brain Matter?" Ziva repeated skeptically.

"Yeah. My friend's band."

"Brain Matter," Tony mused, tipping back in his chair.

"Yeah," Abby insisted. "You guys all promised you would go with me."

"All of us?" McGee asked.

"Even me?" Tony demanded.

"Even you," she persisted, placing the ticket on his desk. "And you, and you," she said doing the same for Ziva and McGee respectively.

"I don't think I can make it tonight," Ziva lied, faltering in her words. "I've got a…doctor's appointment…"

Tony jumped at the opening. "Yeah, yeah. We have to go to that…I have to go with her to that."

She turned to McGee, and he quickly tried to come up with an excuse as well. "And uh…I-I've got…"

Abby cut him off. "Some people wear these spiky things just for show," she threatened, pointing to the bracelets on her arm. "I don't."

He eyed her with wide eyes, and took the ticket from her hand. "I have nothing better to do than to see…" He looked down, having forgotten the name of the band.

"A dead body, McGee," Gibbs cut in.

"You read my mind, boss," McGee said in relief.

"Quick read," Tony supplied.

"Pack up. Full kit," Gibbs instructed. He tosed a bottle of pills over his head to McGee, ignoring Tony's jibe toward the younger agent.

"Motion sickness mints?" he queried, eyeing his boss in confusion.

He turned to Ziva, who was packing her things like the rest of the team. "You sit," he ordered, and she knitted her brows in confusion. "You're not going."

"Gibbs!" she protested.

"Don't know what's on the ship, or who. Being six months pregnant means you aren't cleared for field work."

"Gibbs! This is ridiculous! I am perfectly capable," she insisted.

He crossed the room so that he stood in front of her, and said, "You can pin me on that desk, you can go."

She grinned.

Sure enough, ten hours later, the entire team, including Ziva, stepped onto the Chimera. They searched the entire ship for hours after that, but found that it appeared deserted.

Back at NCIS, Abby walked into her lab a clipboard in hand. The lighting was dim due to the late hour, but music was blasting as always. She failed to hear McGee's calls over the video conference, until he screamed her name for the third time; louder than ever. "Abby!"

She jumped slightly, and turned to the scratchy satellite feed. "McGee," she reprimanded, "you shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"What the _hell _is that noise?" he demanded, and she switched it off with the press of a button.

"Brain Matter," she snipped.

He assumed the look of a deer caught in head lights. "I love them."

She smiled despite herself. "You guys okay?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," he replied, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Yeah we're peachy. I am dealing with my boat phobia, Tony is dealing with his rat phobia, and Ziva is dealing with her ghost phobia."

"So what's Gibbs dealing with?" was her inquiry.

The man in question appeared on the screen, pushing his younger agent out of the way. "Them," he muttered. "Abbs, patch me through to the Director."

As if on cue, Jenny's voice reached their ears. "No need, Jethro; I'm here. What's the status?"

"Well, the crew has disappeared. Except for one."

"Did he tell you where they are?" she demanded.

"No," he replied simply. "He's dead."

She paused at that. "Have you ID'd him?"

"Yeah. Hang on." He pulled what looked to be a notepad out of his pocket, and read from it. "Dr. Satoshi Takada."

"Does Ducky have a cause of death?" she asked.

"We're still doing tests. We don't know what killed him," he sighed, barely registering the doctor's entrance into the room.

"Yes we do," Ducky sighed, his expression grave. "My initial diagnosis of asphyxia, was incorrect I'm afraid. It looks as if Takada died of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, to which by now we have all been exposed."

"Can't leave the ship," Gibbs deduced.

"That won't be a problem, Jethro." Ducky assured him soberly. "If my diagnosis is correct, we'll all be dead by morning."

Gibbs' eyes widened, his thoughts going to Ziva.

Abby gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth, and Jenny sent an aggravated look upward. She placed a hand on her hip, and strode out of the room. "Honestly!" she muttered.

Two hours later, she stood in MTAC, on satellite feed with Ducky, Gibbs, and Commander Skinner.

"I'm flying a crew out to take control of the ship," the Commander informed them, trying to hold on to his quickly slipping control of the situation.

"The risk is too great," Ducky protested. "Director, you cannot allow anyone on this ship."

"I can put anyone I want to on that ship," Commander Skinner cut in.

"Then I have no choice but to quarantine the Chimera," Ducky stated calmly.

"On whose authority?" Skinner demanded.

"Ours," Jenny snapped. "Dr. Mallard is a Medical Examiner. Agent Gibbs is a federal officer."

"That's my ship!" Skinner insisted.

"Not anymore," Gibbs stated simply.

"What kind of game do you think you're playing, Gibbs?" Skinner demanded angrily.

Gibbs ignored him, and instead asked, "Any word from the missing crew?"

"We have every possible resource looking for those men," Skinner snapped. He was not fond of being ignored.

Gibbs scoffed, moving out of the screen. Ducky took his place, his tone urgent. "Given what we know, those men may very well have been exposed to the virus too."

"They may also need to be quarantined," Jenny supplied.

"You don't need to explain to me the dangers involved here," Skinner snapped.

Gibbs quickly reappeared with a snappy comeback. "Well it might've helped if you'd explained them to us."

Ducky sighed. "If that is all, Director, I'd like to find out what this virus is before it kills me. And quite possibly everyone else on this ship too." He turned on his heel, following behind Gibbs.

Jenny turned to Skinner, her voice ironically sweet. "Commander, I think it's time you told me what I need to know about your ship."

"I cannot divulge anymore about the Chimera's mission than I already have," he insisted.

"Seeing as how my agents now have control over your ship, I am going to instruct them to investigate _any_ and all aspects of the Chimera's operation that will help them determine what they are up against. _Nothing_ will be off limits!"

"You can't do that," he protested.

She snapped. "You can't stop me!"

"This is a classified mission," he insisted again, running out of lines to feed her.

"Then read me into it!" she barked.

"Even if I wanted to read you into the Chimera's mission, I can't do that over an MTAC feed."

"If you think that I am going to stand idly by when my agent's lives are in danger, one of whom is six months pregnant, and a _Mossad _liaison, then you are _sadly _mistaken. I will be waiting for you, and your file commander," she barked, signaling for the tech to cut the feed.

**Hope you liked it guys! And as always, special thanks to my beta. My stories wouldn't be what they are without her :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello luvs! I'm back! Sorry it's been so long. My beta is now working on the new chapter to Redhead Next Door as well. This would have been up sooner but those blasted wisdom teeth finally had to go. There was no putting it off any longer *sigh* Me= not a happy camper...**

**Buuuut...your reviews did make me smile :) So thanks everybody! paris chica, NCIS FTW, I-AM-RIVER-SONG, Paris-eternellement, basket-case1880, PolkadottedAngels, miss-tarletone, TeamCarlisleandEsme8, TheSkyPrincess, ladybugsmomma, and Bluemoon909, you are all lovely, wonderful people. Thank you for putting up with my sadly quite sporadic updates lol. Hopefully you'll like this one too :)**

Jenny sat in her office, while Commander Skinner read her into the operations of the Chimera: "Bio-warfare research is illegal," she said, "We signed a treaty."

"So did the Russians," he replied disdainfully, "And we spotted their fishing trawlers in areas of the Berring Sea that aren't considered fishable."

"So two wrongful fishing expeditions make a right?" she snapped.

He smiled tightly. "We're just trying to get our hands on the next generation of biological weaponry _before_ our enemies do."

"Do you file that under deception or hypocrisy?" she asked him sarcastically. She had no compassion for the man in front of her, or his cause.

He chuckled, snatching a piece of paper off the table. "Nondisclosure agreement," he supplied, handing it to her. She flipped through it, her reproachful gaze flitting to him as he leaned over her desk. "Now do you understand why the Navy doesn't want anyone to know where this ship is? Or what it's doing?"

She signed the papers, offering him no more than an unmoved glare. "And do you understand that the Navy's secret can cost my agents their lives?"

"I got a support vessel on its way with medical support facilities on board, and a decontamination unit," he promised slyly.

"Great." She smiled sweetly in challenge. "Show it to me."

"How exactly do you propose I do that?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know…There must be an Orion or two that you can scramble overhead."

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "I think you're going to have to trust me Director."

"I don't know you well enough Commander," she said icily.

"We can fix that," he offered, making the mistake of coming on to her.

She took a breath, in an effort to remain professional, even if he would not. She leaned forward so that her voice need be little more than a whisper. Her expression was one of loathing. "You can cut the charm," she all but snarled. "Higher ranking, richer, and _definitely _better looking men have tried that on me, and didn't get very far. Now I can't speak for you Commander, but I didn't get where I am because of my _looks_. So get your eyes off of me, and _put some on that ship."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jenny stood in MTAC with Commander Skinner, watching the tracking of their ships.

"Satisfied, Director?" he demanded sullenly.

"I'm not that easy Commander."

"That doesn't surprise me." He smirked, circling her while he eyed her as if she were his next meal.

A boat started to beep on the screen, and she assumed it was the support vessel. She voiced her thoughts, and then directed her next statement at the tech. "Can we get any closer?" she asked.

Instead, she was subjected to more of Skinner's pitiful attempts at flirting. "I'm sure we can," he said, smiling leeringly, and she rolled her eyes. She was all too close to wringing his neck. The screen zoomed in, and her eyes narrowed.

"It's going to reach the Chimera a lot faster than you said it would," she observed.

His face grew grave. "That's not our support vessel."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Having contacted Gibbs immediately, she forced herself to remain calm. "The approaching craft has no known identification."

"That seems to be the way things operate around here," he griped.

"Looks to be the size of a small assault vessel," Skinner supplied. "Same type of boats I've seen used by marauders."

"Tyrants?" Gibbs demanded.

"Cruise ships, tankers, steamers; they'll attack anything to make a buck," Skinner said.

Gibbs's gaze fell to his watch. "How long?" he demanded.

"You should be able to put eyes on it any minute," Jenny interjected.

"These people come in heavily armed Agent Gibbs," Skinner cut in. "Automatic weapons, grenades, even RPGs."

"What are they after?" Gibbs asked.

"I can't divulge that information," Skinner tried again, and Jenny snapped her head to him, an incredulous expression on her face.

"Hold on. You tell me heavily armed pirates are coming to attack me. You better _damn _well tell me what they're looking for." Gibbs snapped.

"Your agent hasn't been read in," Skinner supplied Jenny as way of an excuse.

"I don't give a damn about your secrets Commander," Gibbs barked, "I care about keeping my team safe. What do you not get about a pregnant agent? Tell me what they want."

"I can't do that!" Skinner insisted. "And I can't help poor judgment on your part; having a pregnant agent in the field."

"Can someone give me a damn answer?" he yelled, his temper flaring.

"Put me through to Stat COM!" Jenny demanded.

"Alright! Alright!" Skinner conceded. "Wait! Look! The secret material they have dredged up from the ocean-"

"What am I looking for?" Gibbs cut him off. "Something the size of a bread box? A gallon drum?"

"It can fit in a vial," Skinner, answered, "but it's untested. Unproven."

"Farris has already killed one guy. He put twenty others at risk. This is worth something to someone!"

McGee appeared on the screen addressing his boss. "Boss we cracked it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Not fifteen minutes later, with no further contact with Gibbs or his team, Jenny and Skinner watched as three missiles flew into the Chimera. Jenny failed to suppress a gasp as the ship exploded in balls of fire and black smoke. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. "Oh my God," she breathed. Her head snapped to Skinner, whose face showed no remorse; if possible, he looked somewhat pleased.

"Tell me you didn't just do that," she demanded of him.

"The decision was out of my hands Director," he replied, his tone uncaring. "It's possible that there are still survivors. We will conduct a full sweep of the area once the support vessel arrives.

"This was _completely _in your hands Commander!" she snapped. "There is no way that any of them will survive in the water, and you know that. Agent Gibbs barely survived his last explosion. Dr. Mallard is _seventy five years old_, Agent Dinozzo has suffered the plague, and Officer David is _six months pregnant. _The only one who may have a chance at this point, is Agent McGee. Commander, I suggest you pray for a miracle because if my agents do not survive, I will bring the full weight of this agency down on your head," she snarled, and turned on her heel, the doors of MTAC whooshing closed behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/n: Blah! I posted the wrong version of this story guys! Very much my bad. Sorry, but it's been beta'd and edited and all that jazz now .**

**Enjoy!**

**Sorry for anybody on the email list. I probably confused a lot of people with the taking it down and putting it up :/**

Jenny stormed past her assistant.

"Cancel the rest of my day," she snapped, not bothering to keep even a modicum of calm in her voice. and slammed her door so hard the office shook. Inside, she fell back against the doors and allowed her mask to fall. Her face crumpled and she slid to the floor in quiet sobs. She thought of their children at home and was nearly reduced to hysterics. How was she going to tell them? How was she going to look them in the eye knowing that their father was dead and she was responsible? She took out her phone and dialed the home number.

"_Shepard-Gibbs residence," _Noemi answered, and Jenny had to bite back a sob.

"Noemi," she asked, knowing full well that her voice was not doing any job of hiding her distressed state.

"_Si, Senora," _Noemi replied. _"Are you alright? You sound as if you are crying."_

"I'm fine," Jenny lied terribly, "Could I talk to the twins?"

"_They are sleeping Senora, but…"_

Jenny stopped her. "No, it's fine. If they're sleeping don't wake them."

"_You are sure you are alright Senora?" _Noemi asked again.

"Fine," was Jenny's intentionally reassuring reply. "Good-bye Noemi. I'll see you when I get home."

"_Good-bye Senora ,"_Noemi replied skeptically.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, Jenny had managed to take herself to the couch, but her eyes were red and her cheeks were blotchy. She sat with her head in her hands, blaming herself for the explosion. She had sent them out on the call. She was the one who had not insisted on finding out more about the ship before sending them there. It was her fault he was dead.

She heard a commotion outside her doors, and then Cynthia's distressed voice.

"Agent Gibbs! You can't go in there!" she cried. Her breath caught in her throat at that name, and her head shot up just in time to see the silver-haired agent come barreling into her office.

"Jenny!" he snapped. "Did you know someone tried to blow us up?"

"Where is the rest of your team?" she demanded.

"I sent them home!" he barked. "The damn Navy _tried to blow us up_!"

"Did Ziva see someone?" she asked.

"Yeah," he snapped again, but stopped narrowing his eyes at her. "Were you crying?" he demanded. "Why were you crying?"

"Because I saw the ship explode in MTAC! I thought you were dead." she breathed, her eyes filling with fresh tears.

He moved toward her, his eyes softening. "Jen, don't cry," he pleaded. He hated seeing her cry.

"That's easier said than done, Jethro," she scoffed and he came up behind her, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm fine, Jen," he said. "We all are."

"You have to stop doing this," she murmured, her lips brushing against his skin. "I don't think I can take anymore."

"It's my job, Jenny," he reminded her softly.

She lifted her head and trailed languid kisses along his jaw.

"Do your job in a way that doesn't put me in an early grave," she whispered and he snorted.

He pushed her back to the couch and she pulled him down with her. She kissed him hard; it was passionate and needing. He reached for the front of her shirt, making quick work of the buttons, and pushed her Oxford off her arms.

She moaned softly, arching into him when his teeth grazed her neck in just the right spot. He hiked her skirt up around her waist and she lifted her leg, hooking it onto his hip. She reached for his belt, but groaned in frustration when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Leave it," he murmured, continuing his ministrations.

"I can't," she huffed, but the throaty sound she made contradicted her statement. "It's probably important."

"If it was important she would have called in instead of knocking," he reasoned.

"Director!" called Skinner from the other side of the door.

"You're right," Jenny conceded at the sound of his voice. "We can leave it."

Now, it was Gibbs who was preoccupied with the person on the other side of the door.

"Is that who I think it is?" he demanded.

"More of a 'what'," Jenny muttered.

Gibbs moved off of her and she growled in aggravation. She grabbed her blazer from the edge of the chair and slid it on over the camisole she wore rather than bother with buttons. She smoothed her clothes and crossed the room to open the door. When she swung the door open, she wore a peevish look on her face.

Cynthia stood there, distressed once more, and Commander Skinner pushed past her.

"Director, I tried to tell your assistant here that we had several matters to discuss, but she wouldn't let me in," he explained.

"And with good reason, Commander," Jenny bit out. "In case you failed to notice, I am in a meeting with one of the agents you tried to _incinerate_."

It was only then that Skinner noticed the other man's presence in the room.

"Agent Gibbs!" he exclaimed in shock. He fumbled over his words. "It's…It's good to see you alive…Good to see you alive."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hit you right now." Gibbs demanded menacingly, stalking over to the commander and glowering.

Skinner narrowed his eyes, and turned his attention back to Jenny.

"You should learn to control your agents, Jenny," he said snidely, but then smirked. "Or is he the competition for a place in your bed?" he asked, taking in their slightly rumpled appearances, and the woman's blouse on the floor by the couch.

Before either Jenny or Skinner saw it coming, the Commander was knocked to the ground, blood streaming from his nose. Jenny spun to Gibbs, who was shaking his hand and glaring at the man on the floor.

"He hit me!" Skinner snapped, holding his nose.

Jenny smiled sweetly, and said in a voice that was anything but, "From where I stand, Commander, it looks like you took a nasty fall onto my desk. And _maybe _I can even smell the alcohol on your breath. Wouldn't you agree, Agent Gibbs?"

Skinner could do little more than hold his nose and glare at her.

"Sounds about right," Gibbs grumbled. "You should really be more careful, _Commander_."

Jenny smirked, pressing the button on her phone for her assistant. "Cynthia, would you get Security up here please? Commander Skinner has taken a nasty fall, and he looks as if he may need some assistance."

"Yes, Director," her assistant responded promptly.

Once Security had removed Commander Skinner from the room, Jenny sent her assistant home and shut the doors to her office behind her. She moved closer than simple professional concern would require, but her words were careful.

"You really have to stop getting yourself into situations where I think you're dead or dying," she sighed, linking her arms around his neck. Her emerald eyes bore into his blue ones, enforcing the seriousness of her statement.

"I'll try," he joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Really," she murmured. "You're going to give me a heart attack before I'm forty."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, Jenny and Gibbs entered their house quietly and walked into the living room, where Noemi lay sleeping on the couch. Jenny smiled and crossed the room to wake her.

"Noemi," she whispered, shaking the younger woman gently.

Noemi jumped, but relaxed at seeing Jenny's familiar face. Almost immediately though, she took on an expression of distress.

"Oh Senora, I am so sorry," she apologized. "I did not mean to fall asleep."

"It's nothing Noemi," Jenny assured her. "We shouldn't have kept you so late in the first place. Go home, get some sleep. Be careful. I heard thunder outside."

Noemi nodded, pulling on her jacket. "I will see you tomorrow Senora, Senor Gibbs."

Once she had left Jenny and Gibbs headed up the stairs toward their room. They were stopped in the hallway by a sleepy looking Leilah. Her red curls stuck up haphazardly all over her head and her left cheek was flushed from sleeping on it. She clutched her green blanket in her small fist and rubbed her eye.

"How did you get out of bed?" Jenny asked, turning to Jethro incredulously and lifted the girl onto her hip.

Leilah mumbled something unintelligible and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, sticking her fingers in her mouth. "Boo-boo," she whined as a bout of thunder rattled the house.

"You have a boo-boo?" Jenny asked, not understanding. "Did you fall?"

Another bout of thunder shook the house and Leilah whined again, burying her face in Jenny's neck.

"Scae," she cried.

"She's scared of the thunder, Jen," Jethro offered and a look of realization dawned on Jenny's face.

"Oh, boom-boom?" she asked, and Leilah nodded.

"It's okay, honey," Jenny soothed. "It's just thunder. It's only noise, it can't hurt you."

This did little to reassure the child and Jethro said, "Let her sleep in our room."

"Fine," Jenny sighed. She did have other plans for that bed, but that was moot now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Jenny moaned as she was pulled out of her slumbering state. She blinked her eyes as the reason for her rude awakening became clear. Leilah was beating on the door, obviously wanting to get out of the room.

"Jethro," she groaned. Receiving no response, she said his name more forcefully.

"Jethro."

Again, no response. "Jethro!" she snapped, swatting at him, only to find that the man in question was nowhere to be found.

She grudgingly sat up and looked around the room with bleary eyes. She caught sight of a splash of white on her bedside table. She snatched it up and read the familiar, scratchy scrawl.

_Caught a case - Jethro._

She rolled her eyes. Some things never had changed. He had never been a man of many words. She had given both he and his team the rest of the week off, though she doubted they would take it. She had the feeling that even Ziva, who was now barred from any form of field work, would be there. Jenny rarely ordered the Israeli to do things, but her demands regarding field work had an unmistakably direct order. She slid out of bed and ran a quick hand through her mussed curls. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she crossed the room and lifted Leilah onto her hip.

"You don't like me sleeping, do you?" she muttered.

She trudged down the hall and into the twins' room. Jacob sat up in his crib, holding onto the bars.

"I think I like your brother better," Jenny teased. "He's much more agreeable."

She groaned, lifting her son onto her other hip and smiled when he reached out and grabbed her face.

She checked on Ava, and finding that she was still sleeping, took the twins downstairs. As she sat them in their high chairs, the thought struck her that she could have been doing this this way forever. She could have been caring for her children alone because Gibbs was dead rather than because he had simply gone out on an early call. She shuddered at the thought, suddenly no longer feeling like going to work that day. She had been spending far too much time away from her children and the other day had proven that life was too unpredictable for that to be acceptable. She called her assistant and, finding that she had no engagements that demanded her attention, she took the day off.

Two hours later, she stood in her kitchen drinking coffee, dressed in no more than a lilac robe and reading the paper. She found it far more favorable than dealing with impossible politicians in a tight suit and killer heels. She looked up when Jackson entered the room. The twins sat in their high chairs and squealed upon his entrance. Ava was still thankfully asleep.

"Good morning," she greeted, smiling warmly.

"Morning," he replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table. He was not so bad as his son, but she had the feeling that was only because he was a guest in the house and did not want to appear rude or brutish. Without asking, she grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and nearly filled it to the rim with coffee before handing it to him.

He nodded gratefully and took a long drink without adding sugar. Jenny smiled into her cup as she took a sip of her own and shook her head. _Like father, like son._


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey :) Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! WiseGirl3, DS2010 , NCIS FTW, TheSkyPrincess, ladybugsmomma , TeamCarlisleandEsme8 , miss-tarletone , JET1967,Shannon Jethro Gibbs Snape, you all are absoulutely lovely :)**

**So as I said when I reposted last chapter, I had some problems (posting the wrong version) So I really do apologize if I confused anyone with the taking it down and putting it up. **

**Hope you enjoy it!**

Jenny sat in bed with her glasses perched on her nose, stacks of case files surrounding her. She sighed as she signed off on yet another. What number it was she couldn't remember; she had found it too depressing to continue counting after fifty. Suddenly, her stomach growled. She looked at the clock. She had been working for three hours already and the stack of files still looked the same to her as it had when she first started.

"Jethro!" she called, knowing that he was somewhere on the top floor. When she received no answer, she called him again, louder than before.

"Jethro!"

"Jen!" She heard. His tone was mocking. She rolled her eyes and slid off the bed. She padded down the hall and finally found him in the room they had converted into a workshop. She would not let him build a boat in her basement, but she always had admired his woodwork. She leaned against the doorframe and smiled,watching his attention to detail as he carved the ridges into the columns of the dollhouse he had been working on.

"It's coming along nicely," she mused, and he looked up with a small smile in acknowledgement.

She smiled again, and turned to leave him to his work.

She made her way down the stairs and passed her children before walking into the kitchen where she found her housekeeper.

"Hello, Senora!" Noemi greeted her in surprise upon hearing her come in.

Jenny smiled. "Don't let me bother you. I'm just going to make a sandwich," she said.

"Would you like me to do it, Senora?" Noemi offered.

"No thank you Noemi," Jenny declined. Noemi nodded.

"Okay, Senora. I will get started on your laundry," she said.

Jenny stuck two pieces of bread in the toaster and grabbed the fixings for an Avocado BLT from the fridge.

She had only just assembled the sandwich and was pouring herself a glass of white wine when the doorbell rang. She growled and set her glass down on the counter, but her stomach would not allow her to leave the sandwich behind. She took one half in her hand and took an appreciative bite as she made her way toward the front door.

She peered through the peephole and swung the door open to reveal both Shannon and Kelly. Kelly was often over, but Jenny was surprised to see Shannon as the other redhead's job often kept her away.

"Hey," Kelly greeted, smiling.

"Hi," Jenny greeted slowly and stepped aside to let them in. Though they were not unwelcome, she had not been expecting them. She also noticed that Shannon looked particularly nervous; she wondered why.

"Is she here?" Shannon asked, and Jenny furrowed her brows.

"Who?" she asked.

"My mother," Shannon reminded her, and Jenny remembered Jethro telling her something about Shannon's mother coming over seeing as he had not been there to greet her the first time: however, she had been half asleep and was not really listening to him at the time.

"Jethro!" she snapped, her voice loud enough for him to here.

He must have recognized the tone in her voice for he responded with a "What?" rather than his mocking response from earlier.

"Would you come here?" she called, rolling her eyes. She thought it quite uncivil and unnecessary to be yelling across the house to have a conversation.

He appeared at her side not too much later and smiled at seeing his daughter and her mother. He turned to Jenny, who was eyeing him a little peevishly. "Yes?" he prompted.

"Shannon's mother is coming over," she said.

"I told you that," he reminded her.

"Two days ago when I was half asleep," she countered in exasperation. "What do you think she's going to say when she sees Leilah or Jacob or Ava even; two of whom can be immediately recognized as your children? She did not seem like a stupid woman Jethro. She's going to put two and two together."

"And?" he said.

"And?" she scoffed. "I thought the object was to avoid giving her a stroke."

"Jen—" he started, but was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Answer it," she said, directing the command at Gibbs. "Tell her in the foyer, or try. Then bring her in the living room to see Shannon and Kelly."

Shannon and Kelly took that as their cue to move, and the three of them retreated into the living room.

Gibbs opened the door to reveal Joanne on the other side. "Joanne," he greeted shortly. They never had gotten along too well.

"Jethro," she replied coolly.

"Come on in," he said, stepping aside. She stepped in and he shut the door behind her.

"Look, there's no easy way to tell you this, so I won't beat around the bush," he said, sighing. "Shannon and Kelly, they were in Witness Protection. They aren't dead. They're here in D.C."

She eyed him a moment in shock before her expression grew livid.

"That is a sick joke," she spat. "They are dead, Jethro."

"Joanne they're in the living room if you need proof," he said patiently. As if on cue, Shannon appeared in the archway with Kelly at her side.

Joanne's eyes widened and her expression verged on madness.

"What is this?" she shrieked, running her hands through her hair. "What kind of sick joke are you playing. They were your family; your wife and child! Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to me?"

"Mom," Shannon tried to say, moving toward the visibly crumbling woman in concern. She reached out her hand but Joanne jerked back as if she were a leper.

"Do not touch me!" she spat. "You are not my daughter. My daughter is _dead_."

"Mom, it's me," Shannon tried again. "It's Shannon. I'm not dead. You have to understand. What I did was for everyone's safety. I couldn't tell you. We couldn't tell anyone."

Joanne shook her head vehemently. "No," she whispered as tears sprung to her eyes. "No."

"Look at me," Shannon demanded. "You know it's me. Look at my eyes and my nose. They're yours." –She held out her left arm—"The burn I got from the stove when I was five."

"No," Joanne insisted again despite the overwhelming evidence before her. She turned to run for the front door, but a sound of a baby's cries made everyone look to the living room. "What is that?" she demanded, directing the question at Gibbs.

"My daughter," he said simply.

"What do you mean your daughter?" she whispered, her voice full of sorrow.

"You met Jenny," he said. "You know who she is to me. She's also their mother."

"_Their _mother?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "There's more than one?" She stormed past him and finding no one in the living room, continued toward the stairs.

"Shit," Jethro muttered. He flashed a look at Shannon before heading up the stairs after her.

Moments later, Jenny was walking out of Ava's room, hoping Joanne had been told before the baby cried. She stopped as she was met by the woman in question.

"You!" Joanne screamed, charging at her. Jenny spun out of the way, her hand coming up protectively to shield her daughter. "You home wrecker! You—you—!"

She stopped speaking. Everything had gone completely silent. Suddenly, Joanne's eyes began to roll back into her head. She fell backwards, and Jethro, who had been standing behind her, caught her on instinct.

Jethro looked up at Jenny, who was bouncing Ava gently in her arms in an attempt to quiet the baby's frightened cries. The look she was giving Jethro could only be described as 'what the hell?'

Shannon appeared at the top of the stairs and gasped at the sight of her mother's limp body in Jethro's arms.

"What happened?" she demanded breathlessly, rushing toward them.

Jethro was about to make a smart and no doubt insensitive comment when Jenny interjected.

"Nothing," she said, fixing him with a pointed look.

Joanne's eyes fluttered open not a minute after they got her downstairs and she blinked her eyes as her vision cleared.

Joanne lay on the couch. Everyone was crowded around her. She groaned as she started to regain consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open. Gibbs was the first person to come into focus. "What happened?" she moaned.

"You fainted," he said, though his voice held no comfort. For that, he received a smack to the head and a withering look from Jenny.

He glared as if debating whether to head slap her back but at the livid look on her face and the pained one on Shannon's, he conceded.

"How do you feel?" he asked Joanne, and she nodded, moving to sit up.

She stopped though at seeing Shannon and Kelly once more. "Is this real?" she asked him. "Am I dreaming or is this real?"

"It's real," he assured her.

"I'm here, Mom. It's me. Kelly, too," Shannon said, kneeling in front of her mother.

Joanne's face crumpled, and she hugged her daughter to her as if her life depended on it. She pulled back and grabbed Shannon's face between her hands.

"Oh sweetheart," she whispered through her tears. "I've missed you. You don't know how much."

"Yeah I do, Mom," Shannon said with tears in her eyes. "I missed you, too. We both did."

Joanne gasped and turned to her granddaughter.

"Kelly," she said, almost regretfully. "You're all grown up." She had missed seeing her get to that point. She pulled Kelly to her in a hug as well, and Jenny leaned back against Gibbs, watching the reunion with a smile on her face.

Twenty minutes later, Jenny stood in the kitchen fixing lunch. She had sent Noemi home after the scene with Shannon's mother. Though the young woman had grown used to loud arguments since Gibbs had moved in, Jenny did feel bad. She was glad that Jackson had chosen the time to go to the park. She turned at the sound of footsteps and tensed a bit at seeing that it was Joanne. She eyed the woman apprehensively after their episode earlier. However, Joanne now looked at her apologetically.

"Shannon told me what I did," she said. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. You have to know I don't think that of you at all. Your children are beautiful and you make a lovely match for Jethro."

Jenny nodded, ending the woman's torture. "It's fine Mrs. Feilding, really. I can understand."

"Please, call me Joanne," Joanne said. "And thank you. I suppose it was just the shock."

"I'm sure," Jenny said.

Joanne nodded and slowly turned to leave. Once the woman was out of the kitchen Jenny let her head fall forward against the cabinet. Her life had been hectic enough as it was. Though she did like both Shannon and Kelly and care deeply for them, she had to admit their reappearance had thrown a wrench into things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Abby sat in her living room surrounded by bridal magazines. She groaned in frustration at the lack of variety. There was white, white, fluff, and more white. She looked up at the sound of keys in the door and McGee appeared moments later. "You okay?" he asked, taking in her expression.

"No," she sighed. "It's all white."

"Why are you trying to do this all on your own Abby?" he asked. "We can hire somebody, or you could just tell the Director and Ziva. You don't want me to see it."

"I want to, but they both have stuff going on Tim," she reasoned. "Gibbs and Jenny have the thing with Shannon and Kelly, and Ziva is terrified her dad is going to steal into her house in the middle of the night and drag her back to Israel."

"Abby, all of us always have something going on. You should tell them," he said, holding out the wrapped Panini she had asked for.

She huffed and took the offered sandwich before throwing a look of disdain to the pictures on the floor.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony had gone out upon Ziva's insistence with several of his college friends who were in town. The latter sat in their living room, three forms in front of her: a termination of contract request from Mossad, an American citizenship application, and an NCIS application. She sighed. All three had been completed, and yet, she could not bring herself to turn any of them in.

She had written and rewritten a letter to her father. She had eventually crumpled it up and burned it. He would not take their supposed relationship into account when deciding whether to end her contract early. She had half a mind to just wait until her contract truly was finished and decline renegotiating. It would be finished in six months. Her son would be born in two. She had been weighing the pros and cons of both options for a long time. If she were to turn in the form, it would risk her father coming to see her to determine her motives. She knew if he were to see her, he would have her on the quickest flight back with him.

She had already spoken with Jenny about her thoughts. Jenny had informed her that should she choose to leave Mossad she would have a position at NCIS so long as she completed all of the necessary requirements.

Ziva heard the jingling of keys in the door, and swiped all three papers off the table. She hid them behind her back just as Tony walked in. She smiled at the grin on his face. "Hey Zi," he said.

"Hello Tony," she laughed. "You had a nice time I take it."

"Yeah," he agreed. He crossed the room, and leaned over to kiss her. She kissed him back, pushing the forms into the crook of the couch. "How's the tike?" he asked, then cringed. "I sound like my father," he mused disdainfully.

She smiled. "He is uncharacteristically cooperative today," she murmured. "He does need a name though," she hinted.

"You didn't like my names," he reminded her in a childish tone and she rolled her eyes.

"His middle name can be Sean or Jonathan if you like Tony," she conceded, and the grin from earlier reappeared on his face. She smiled a small smile despite herself and said, "Matthew for his first name, or Daniel."

"So which one?" he asked.

"I do not know yet," she mused.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jenny sat in the bath, her legs wrapped around her lover's waist, her arms around his neck. She had not had time to herself all day but being around him was just as good, if not better. She only disliked being around him when they argued, which tended to be quite often.

"Jethro," she murmured against his neck.

He murmured a sound of acknowledgement, running his hand along her leg absentmindedly.

"I need a vacation," she mumbled.

"Really?" he asked sarcastically and she smacked him in the shoulder despite the smile playing at her lips.

"I want to go somewhere," she mused.

He eyed her expectantly, amused at her short, almost child-like sentences. "Where is that?" he asked, leaning back a bit so he could see her.

A devilish smile took up residence on her face. "Marseille is always nice," she murmured and he grinned. "I suppose this will have to do for now though," she sighed and leaned forward, placing a quick peck to his lips.

**Well, I hope you liked it guys :)**

** Big thanks to Brii Taylor for her wonderful beta'ing. **

**I haven't decided when to resume all the drama yet, but it will be soon. For now, some family ime for the Jibbs and some tough decisions for Tiva and McAbby.**


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/n: **TeamCarlisleandEsme8, miss-tarletone,PolkadottedAngels, TheSkyPrincess, ladybugsmomma, JET1967, NCIS FTW, Shy Chey 97, you are all so sweet! Thank you so much :)_

Kelly sat up in the living room with her father watching Jurassic Park. Jenny had gone to bedhours ago, not long after Jackson and the children had been put down. They were the only two up and the room was dark sans the flickering light of the television.

She reached for the popcorn in her lap, only to have her father steal it from her. "Daddy!" she protested and he laughed around a mouthful of the salty snack.

She snatched it back, glaring at him good-naturedly and rested her head back on his shoulder. She smiled and pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Not ten minutes later they both looked up at the sound of Ava crying. Kelly sat up and Gibbs moved to his feet. He made his way up the steps and was met in the hallway by a sleepy looking Jenny.

"I got her," he said, and she nodded groggily before turning back towards their room.

Several minutes later, he returned to the living room to find Kelly fast asleep. He smiled and stopped the DVD player. He switched the television off and lifted his daughter into his arms as he had done when she was younger.

He carried her up the stairs and dropped her gently on the bed in the guest room. He shut the door behind him and continued down the hall to the room he shared with Jenny.

He slipped in quietly so as not to disturb her and stripped down to his boxers before sliding into bed. She mumbled something unintelligible and turned over, hugging her pillow. He slid the pillow out of her grasp and she stirred slightly before snuggling into his chest instead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following morning was the day before Easter and Jenny had to meet her mother at the airport. She stepped out of the bathroom fully clothed in a printed maxi dress and a white cardigan. She slipped a pair of sandals on her feet and set her sunglasses on her head.

She snatched her purse off the drawer chest and headed downstairs. Gibbs sat in the kitchen with the twins drinking a cup of coffee. Leilah and Jacob sat in their high chairs munching happily on bite sized pieces of a grilled cheese sandwiches. Leilah grinned up at her mother swinging her feet, her mouth covered in grease. Jacob though, was far more concerned with his lunch. Jenny laughed and grabbed a napkin off the table to wipe her daughter's face.

She tossed the napkin in the trash and stood on her toes to kiss their father briefly.

"I should be back in a couple of hours," she said. "There's milk in the fridge in case Ava gets hungry and I'm not back in time.

When they returned several hours later, the house was quiet aside from the low hum of the central air system.

"Jethro?" Jenny called. Upon receiving no response she tried again, "Kelly? Jasper?"

She shrugged and grabbed the heavier one and of her mother's bags before headed up the stairs with Julie following behind her.

With Kelly leaving until she returned the following day with her mother and stepfather for Easter lunch, there would be just enough rooms to accommodate everyone.

"You _are _taking the children to church tomorrow, aren't you?" Julie asked as Jenny opened the door to the guest room.

"Yes, mother," Jenny responded in agitation. "To Jethro's church."

"Isn't he Catholic?" Julie demanded.

"Yes," Jenny granted. "What does that matter?"

"You're Baptist," Julie argued.

"And not even remotely religious," Jenny countered. "Heather goes to church with Eric. He's Catholic. Their kids are raised Catholic."

"So what, you plan to have yours baptized before they have any say in the matter as well?" Julie demanded heatedly.

"For God's sake mother, we are all Christians," Jenny snapped. "We are going to church for the same reason. Jethro and I haven't talked about it extensively. He goes to church every Sunday so long as he isn't working. He does not ask me to come because he knows I won't, and it's too much of a hassle to get all three of the kids out on his own. To answer your question, no, I do not plan to have them baptized before they ask about it."

Julie seemed to calm herself and said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I'm sure," she grumbled.

Julie never was one to leave well enough alone and said, "Speaking of Christian, just how long do you plan to remain unmarried? I mean really, you have three children with him."

"Mom!" Jenny barked in warning and Julie leveled her daughter with a reproachful glare.

"There is no need to be brusque, Jennifer. It was merely a question," she said.

"It's never just a question with you," Jenny muttered before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her just a little too forcefully.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following morning, Jenny huffed as she fought with the zipper on her dress. She looked up in relief when Gibbs walked in.

"Will you help me with this?" she asked and he crossed the room to do as he was asked.

She pushed her hair to the side to give him better access and said in disgruntlement, motioning to her breasts, "It's these. Nothing fits while Ava uses them as her personal milk farm."

He snorted and she gasped when he yanked the zipper up, effectively squeezing her into the confines of the fabric.

"Thank you," she sighed.

It was then that she got the chance to really see him. He was dressed in a tan suit of a silwool-silk mix and a crisp, white shirt. Only his green tie was out of place, hanging around his neck.

"You look nice," she praised, reaching up to fix his tie.

"You sound surprised," he said, and she laughed.

"I am," she teased, finishing with his tie.

She grabbed a pair of nude colored Louboutins off the floor and an oversized sunhat from the bed.

They descended the stairs. At the bottom, they were met by Kelly who was dressed in blue and white polka-dotted dress and holding Leilah. The latter was not happy in the lime green, frilly contraption her mother had dressed her in. She was particularly loathing of the matching bow that went with it. She had expressed her discontent by ripping the thing out of her hair, effectively destroying the arrangement of her fine curls. She sat on her sister's hip, glaring Jenny.

"I take it you don't like the bow," Jenny presumed.

"She screamed and yanked it out three times," Kelly stressed.

"So no bow?" Jenny asked, humoring her daughter.

Leilah simply continued to glare.

"I never liked them much either," Jenny murmured, smirking at the little girl who was becoming more and more her double every day.

"She threw the shoes off too," Kelly sighed and Jenny's gaze flitted to Leilah's feet, clad only in a pair of white socks, and then to the white Mary-Janes in Kelly's hand.

"So I guess you just hate looking presentable," Jenny said, addressing her oldest daughter. "I don't suppose you could be agreeable like your brother."

As if to further highlight the differences between the two, Julie rounded the corner with the boy in question. He too was dressed formally in an outfit almost a replica of his father's. However, he was standing contentedly at his grandmother's legs eating out of a bowl of Goldfish.

"La-La no," he said, and Jenny assumed he was indicating that he knew his sister was doing something wrong, having associated the word 'no' with wrongdoing.

"Yes," Jenny agreed. "Leilah is not being good today."

As if she too understood what he was saying, Leilah threw her pacifier at him.

"No," Jenny scolded. "We do not throw things at people, especially slobbery pacifiers. Why are you acting so awful today? "

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that afternoon, everyone sat in Jenny and Gibbs' backyard, eating a lunch of shrimp shooters, Orange-Glazed Ham, asparagus, potato salad, and yeast rolls.

"You're a wonderful cook, Jenny," Elaine complimented her and Jenny was simply about to smile politely and thank her, but was thwarted by Gibbs.

He snorted. "She's a good shopper," he mumbled under his breath, though not quiet enough that it did not fall on Jenny's ears.

She pitched a roll of bread at him and fixed him with a playful glare. He grinned and she returned to feeding Ava her bottle.

Ten minutes later, Jenny was laying Ava in her basinet when her head popped up at the sound of childish, maniacal laughing.

Oreo bounded past her and Leilah followed in quick succession in nothing more than her diaper. Jenny growled low in her throat and pulled the sun cover over Ava's basinet before taking off after her daughter.

"Leilah , come here! Leilah Jeannette!" she snapped, but it was to no avail.

Leilah continued to dash across the lawn while her mother tipped in heel behind her, attempting not to get the rather expensive heels stuck in the grass.

Soon, Jacob had decided that it was a fun game his mother and sister were playing and he was not to be left out. He took off across the lawn as well, in his dress clothes no less.

It was quite the sight, a band of adults running after two toddlers and a puppy, all of whom continued to successfully evade them.

Finally, Jenny had a moment of sense and kicked her heels off. She took off after the puppy, knowing that wherever he went, the twins would follow. Jacob ran between his mother's legs, tripping her up as she lunged for the dog and she tumbled to the ground with a shriek.

Leilah came to a stop in front of her mother smiling bashfully. "Hi, mommy," she said in customary baby garble, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

"This is your fault," Jenny said, waving her hand in the air. Leilah smiled before collapsing in a fit of maniacal laughter beside her mother.

Jenny rolled her eyes but could not help the small smile that tugged at her lips.

"How did you get that dress off anyway," she muttered.

_**A/n:** So guys, this story might be going on hiatus for a bit. I'm not saying yay or nay just yet but if it's not updated for a bit you'll know why :( I am going to do my best to keep both of my stories going though. :)_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/n: Hey guys, I finally got a new chapter up. I don't think it's my best personally, but I'm tired, and I only just finished typing it. **

**I hope you still like it though, and thank you for all of you reviews! I promise I'll do shout outs next chapter. I just wanted to get this up.**

**Monkeys :)**

Jenny huffed, waking in the middle of the night to Leilah's cries. She had long since learned to identify each of her children by the noises they made. She groaned, smacking the mattress as she pushed herself up and out of bed. She snatched her robe off the nearby chair and glared at Gibbs who had simply rolled over upon feeling the weight shift of her getting up.

"Thank you for being so helpful," she hissed sarcastically, never mind the case he had just worked for forty-eight hours straight.

She sighed wearily as she made her way down the hall to the twins' room, knowing that she would now have to get both of them back to sleep. It was nothing short of a miracle that Leilah's screams had not woken the baby.

She pushed the door open, finding Leilah standing in her crib with red-rimmed, teary eyes, screaming as she tugged at her ear.

"Leilah, you have to be quiet. You woke your brother up, see?" Jenny murmured, lifting the little girl out of her crib and turned to her son who was rubbing his eyes and starting to whine.

She groaned with the weight of them both as she lifted him out of his crib as well and did her best to soothe them both. Despite her best efforts, Leilah continued to scream, tugging on her ear, and Jenny was not far from it herself while Jacob whimpered in her arms.

She laid him down with the hope that he would simply go back to sleep and it was only Leilah keeping him awake. She ran a gentle hand over his head before readjusting Leilah on her hip and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"What's wrong, honey?" Jenny asked comfortingly, taking in the toddler's red flushed cheeks as she continued to tug on her ear and scream.

The latter was giving Jenny a headache and she exhaled heavily through her nose as she entered the kitchen in an attempt to keep herself calm.

"Leilah, mommy really needs you to be quiet, okay?" she murmured, flinging the cabinets open in search of the Children's Tylenol.

Her request fell on deaf ears and she growled, trying to set the little girl on the counter. Leilah only screamed louder and clung to her mother, taking Jenny by surprise.

"Can you tell mommy what's wrong? Can you use your words?" she asked and then scoffed at herself. "Of course you can't. You're one," she sighed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She crawled back into bed an hour later, having finally gotten Leilah to quiet down. Not thirty seconds after her head hit the pillow, the alarm clock went off and she smacked the snooze button so hard she thought it might be broken. She hoped it was.

She laid there, clasping her hands over her forehead as Gibbs groggily slid out of bed and she soon heard the hiss of the shower. After several minutes, she forced herself to get up and trudged down the hall.

When Gibbs entered the kitchen thirty minutes later, he found her there nursing a cup of coffee. Her eyes met his gaze for only a moment before she slammed the cup into the sink a little too forcefully and brushed past him without a word. If looks could kill, he was sure he would have burst into flames.

When she re-entered the kitchen nearly forty minutes later dressed for work Gibbs was nowhere to be found, but he had left his evidence behind. His plate sat in the sink, which would have been fine if not for the traces of food still on the plate. She sighed, snatching it out of the sink and scraped his mess into the trashcan.

It was as she walked back across the room that her resolve snapped and she threw the plate into the sink, shattering it.

"Dammit, Gibbs!' she snapped and then barked his name louder. "Gibbs!"

She heard the pounding of his feet on the stairs and he soon appeared in the doorway eyeing her reproachfully.

"You yelled?" he snipped in aggravation despite the incensed look she was giving him while her fingers drummed against the sink in agitation, not to mention her use of his surname rather than his first.

"I am not your maid, Jethro," she growled. "Would it kill you to clean up after yourself once in a while, or are you just incapable of common courtesy?"

"What is your problem, Jenny?" he demanded, crossing the room.

"My problem, Jethro, is you." she snapped. "I do not want bugs in my house. Leaving food riddled plates in the sink attracts bugs. I'd rather not have our children playing with roaches, if that's alright with you."

"It's a plate," he said. "You're having some kind of mental breakdown over a plate?"

"Obviously my problem is not the plate Jethro!" she shot back sharply. "I cannot take care of three children on my own. I shouldn't _have_ to with you in the house. I'm exhausted because you think that just because I get up at four a.m. to deal with a screaming child or God forbid _children_, you don't have to."

"I just worked a case with two days of no sleep while you flirted with politicians and pushed papers around. Maybe if you stopped giving me cases that last for two weeks I might be able to get some sleep and help you," he rebutted.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed. "Pushing papers? You try being Director for a week and see if it's just pushing papers!"

"I did, and it is," he replied smartly, referring to his time as acting Director some months earlier.

"Yes, and you left me with stacks of paperwork, never mind the fact that you did not have to deal with anyone even remotely like yourself. You didn't have to smooth over the social infractions of your main agent by _flirting with politicians_ as you put it," she ground out. "I am tired too, Jethro. I am not Shannon no matter how much you may like me to be. I don't stay home and take care of the baby and clean up your mess and then run into your arms when you get home."

"I never said I expected you to, and I sure as hell never said I wanted you to be Shannon, Jenny," he bit out, his life with Shannon still a sore spot.

"But you do, Jethro," she said. "Your idea of family life is far different from what you have now. Admit it. Shannon did all of the heavy lifting while you got to go out and shoot guns."

"You're being ridiculous, Jenny. You sound like Diane," he said, making his exit, leaving her there with a look a mix of shock and disgruntlement.

Later that day, Jenny sat in her office massaging her temples. She pressed the button for her assistant and Cynthia promptly answered.

"Yes, Director?"

"Cynthia, would you tell Agent Gibbs that I want to see him please?" she asked.

"Certainly, Director," Cynthia replied and Jenny ended the call.

Jenny sighed and stood from her chair. Yanking her drawer open, she grabbed the aspirin and shook two into her palm before dry swallowing them.

When half an hour later, Gibbs was still not in her office, Jenny called her assistant once more.

"Cynthia, did you call Agent Gibbs?" she asked.

"Yes, Director, Thirty minutes ago. He said he would make it up when he could" Cynthia replied.

"Call him again, please, and tell him to make time. _Now_."

"Right away, Director," Cynthia assured her.

Only a minute later, she called back.

"He said the same thing, Director," she said, her voice apologetic.

She inhaled through her nose and sighed, "Thank you Cynthia."

The moment she ended her call with Cynthia, she picked the phone up again and dialed a familiar number while she fumed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dinozzo, what the hell are you doing?" Gibbs snapped, striding into the bullpen, finding Tony doing some kind of taunting dance at McGee.

"Nothing, boss, I was just-"

He stopped mid-sentence as Gibbs hand connected with the back of his head and winced.

"Thank you, boss."

Gibbs grabbed the phone ringing on his desk as Tony took his seat, glaring at Ziva's amused look.

"Gibbs," he answered gruffly, not expecting the response he received.

"_Agent Gibbs, I _highly _suggest that you are in my office in the next sixty seconds, because if you are not I will _personally_ drag your ass to hell and back," _Jenny growled through the phone.

His agents watched as Gibbs hung up the phone and strode across the bullpen, taking the steps two at a time.

Cynthia looked up, watching as Gibbs strode past her desk and threw the doors to the Director's office open.

To her credit, Jenny did not even look up when her doors flew open.

Instead, she simply said calmly, "Shut the door, Agent Gibbs."

He slammed them.

"Do you have a death wish, Jethro?" she snapped.

"Just doing what you asked, Madame Director," he said spitefully.

He watched her jaw muscle jump before she spoke again, venom lacing her words.

"I'm dying of anticipation as to your reason for telling my assistant that you would do what I asked when you had the time," she said sarcastically.

"I was at Abby's," he said simply.

"For half an hour?" she demanded.

"What do you expect me to say, Jen? I'm just trying to solve your cases," he said.

"This has to stop, Jethro," she said vehemently.

"What's that?" he asked waspishly.

"I am _not _your junior agent anymore, Jethro. I am your _boss_, and you will treat me with the respect deserving of that position. Here at work, I am your boss. I am not the mother of your children or your girlfriend or ex-wife number four," she spat. "I am your boss, and what I say is not up for _debate _and it is not a choice that you can check yes or no for. When I say, I want to see you in my office, I expect you to be in my office."

"I'm here now," he countered. "What is it that you need, _Director_?"

"Is there a reason you're trying to piss me off?" she demanded. "If this is some petty plight or test to get me to do something or realize something, I'd much rather you say what you need to say."

"Not a work problem and you're such the professional," he snipped sarcastically.

"It has turned into a work problem, so we need to deal with this right now," she said.

"I'm tired of your Director act following you home," he said.

"Excuse me?" she demanded. "First of all, my job is not an act, and you have no right to talk to me about bringing work home with me. Maybe I'm too tired to play ten different roles at once, so I roll them all into one. Maybe if you actually helped me anymore I might have some energy."

"The only time I ever see you being yourself anymore is when you're pissed, so until you learn to stop acting like Diane, I'm going to try my best to piss you off," he said.

"I do not act like Diane," she insisted almost childishly.

She sighed heavily, and her exhaustion truly made itself evident before she spoke again.

"Jethro, I may seem cold and hardened, or whatever else you call my Director "persona", but that is because I'm too exhausted to be anything else. As Director, I try to leave my emotions out of things for the most part. That is what I have to do with you know so that I don't have some kind of emotional, female breakdown," she stressed. "I'm tired. I'm _tired_. I need a break, Jethro. I just need you to give me a break. I get that you're tired when you come home, but you need to realize that I'm tired too. This is not the eighties and I don't stay at home all day, but three days a week, when Noemi has the day off I come home and take care of that too. I'm not that woman Jethro. I'm not a full-time homemaker. I would drive myself crazy. If that's what you want, then you don't want me."

"I never asked you to do that. I know that isn't how you are, and I don't expect you to be that way," he sighed wearily.

"Then why are you so angry with me?" she demanded.

"Because you aren't acting like the woman I met; that's what I expect to be," he said.

"I'm not that woman anymore, Jethro," she said. "If that's what you want from me, then you'll be looking a long time."

"You were that woman, just more experienced, but you're letting this job suck the life out of you," he said, and she remained silent. "Jenny, if you need help at home, then tell me to help you. You used to," he reminded her.

"Fine," she said quietly, and he nodded, turning to leave.

"And I don't act like Diane," she called as he opened the door.

He rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night, Jethro looked up as Jenny stepped out of the bathroom and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. She crossed the room in no more than a very short, very sheer, black babydoll.

She did not meet his hungry gaze. She simply sat on her side of the bed, and grabbed the bottle of lotion off the bedside table and applied it to her long legs. She smiled devishly just before his hand made contact with her skin.

"No," she said simply, shutting the cap on the lotion bottle, and slid under the covers though she made sure to arch into him.

She shut off the light, and he ignored her attempts to spurn his advances, thinking she was insincere in her actions.

She shoved him off, and again said very simply, "No."

"Jen," he growled.

"You said I acted like Diane," she said, the triumph plain in her tone.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/n: It's back! Thanks so much for all the reviews you guys. I hope you like the new chapter. It's been a while. :) **

Ziva laid awake in bed in a particularly disgruntled state. Tony had been called out to a crime scene no more than an hour ago and she was stuck in bed because she was on _desk duty. _She had been treated like a porcelain doll for months much to her discomfiture.

Jenny had stuck her on desk duty and she had seen nothing but files and paperwork.

There had been no tormenting suspects, no handling of guns, and absolutely no hand-to-hand combat. She was losing her mind. She was eight and a half months pregnant, her son was using her uterus as his personal training arena for the World Cup, her feet hurt, she had to pee every ten minutes, and she had no physical outlet. She now understood why pregnant women tended to scream at people, and to make matters worse, she _waddled_.

She sincerely wished that her water would break already and she could get back to her job.

It was five minutes later that she wished she had aspired for something different when she felt a rush of liquid between her legs. She tossed the comforter aside and growled at the wet spot on her sheets. She swore in Arabic and rolled out of bed. She pulled out her phone and dialed Tony, groaning when it went to voicemail.

"Now is not a good time," she murmured to her unborn child in Hebrew.

She gasped as her first contraction hit her, sending waves of pain through her abdomen. When it passed, she grabbed her bag from the closet, deciding that she would drive herself to the hospital.

When she arrived at the Washington Hospital Center thirty-five minutes later, it was a miracle she had not killed anyone. She _had _nearly caused several accidents on her way there, but only nearly. In all fairness, labor was not an easy thing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three hours later, Tony, Tim, and Gibbs were leaving the crime scene.

"Come on, McWeakling," Tony jeered, laughing at McGee's struggle with a particularly heavy bit of evidence that was quite obviously a two man job.

"Tony will you stop standing there, and help me out?" Tim demanded, refraining from rolling his eyes at Tony's blatant display of immaturity.

Tony opened his mouth, intending to deliver a no doubt witty comeback, but before he could do so his head snapped forward with the force of his boss' hand connecting with his head.

"Help him," Gibbs snapped, walking around to the driver's side of the truck.

"Sure thing, boss," Tony muttered, wincing at the oh so familiar feeling of temporary disorientation.

Once they were packed into the truck and on their way back to NCIS, Tony sat in the front seat scanning through his voicemails. He grimaced, finding several from Ziva. She was no doubt calling to demand that he go find her some weird, nearly unattainable Middle Eastern dish, or French, or Chilean, or maybe it was Russian today. There were certain downfalls to having a girlfriend who had traveled across the world.

He sighed, selecting her latest message, knowing that her cravings were subject to change between the time he finally tracked down what she was looking for and went to get it. His face immediately drained of all color, and his eyes widened.

"Stop!" he shouted, and Gibbs slammed on the breaks, resulting in a cacophony of honking horns and skidding tires around them, as well as several obscene gestures from the drivers that passed them by.

Gibbs pulled over onto the side of the road, and turned to glare at his whey-faced senior agent. He narrowed his eyes at the look of absolute terror on Tony's face.

"Ziva…Washington Hospital…baby," Tony fumbled, nearly squeaking out the last word, and both men in the car immediately understood.

Gibbs made a U-turn into traffic, heading for Washington Hospital Center.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony and Gibbs stepped off the elevator to the maternity ward, Tim having gone back to NCIS with the evidence per Gibbs' instructions. There was no doubt that Ziva was indeed there. Her voice always had carried rather well.

Meanwhile, Ziva was seriously debating grabbing the clock from the table at her bedside and bashing the obnoxiously chipper nurse in her room over the head with it.

"Now, Ms. David there's no need to shout. Would you like me to get your husband on the phone for you?" the blonde asked, noting Ziva's blood pressure.

"Da-veed," Ziva stressed, her left eye twitching with her irritation. "It is pronounced Da-veed."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the nurse apologized. "Well everything does seem to be in order. The doctor will be in soon."

She looked up when the door opened, ready to throttle whoever it was until she saw Tony and Gibbs' familiar faces.

She glared at Gibbs when she saw him smirk. Her annoyance was obviously showing on her face.

When the nurse left closing the door behind her Ziva sighed in relief and her head fell back into the pillows.

"I thought she would never leave," she grumbled.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony walked down the overly-sterile white hallway to the waiting room hours later with his sleeping son in his arms. He found the entire team there: Gibbs slept with his arms crossed over his chest and his head resting against the wall with Jenny's head on his shoulder while Abby slept curled up on the couch and McGee sat in much the same position as Gibbs.

Jenny was the first to show signs of stirring; she had once told him she had always been a light sleeper. She lifted her head from its place on Gibbs' shoulder and winced at the crook in her neck, touching her neck gingerly. She looked around and smiled upon seeing Tony.

He smiled back and she moved to her feet. He slid the baby into her arms, and a small smile graced her face once more. The baby had his mother's olive coloring and dark curls, but when he yawned and opened his eyes to look at her, Jenny saw that he had his father's green eyes. She bounced the baby gently so as to keep him from crying, and looked up at Tony once more.

"He's gorgeous," she whispered, and Tony grinned proudly. "How's Ziva?" she asked.

"Sleeping," he replied and Jenny nodded.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that afternoon, Jenny and Gibbs walked up the steps to their Georgetown town home, and upon stepping inside were attacked by small children.

"Mommy!" Leilah screamed gleefully, running to her mother as fast as her toddler legs could carry her.

"Hi, baby," Jenny cooed, swinging her daughter into her arms.

Gibbs lifted Jacob onto his shoulders as Noemi rounded the corner with Ava in her arms. Leilah wriggled out of Jenny's arms and tugged on her pants.

"Mommy, see," Leilah demanded, and Jenny ignored her temporarily, turning to Noemi.

"Thank you for staying, Noemi," Jenny thanked her, and the housekeeper smiled.

"It is no problem, Senora," Noemi assured her, handing her the four month old baby. "The baby is alright?" she asked, and Jenny nodded.

"Healthy baby boy," she said, adjusting her own child in her arms. "They named him John Michael. After the Duke," she added, rolling her eyes, and Noemi laughed.

"The twins were playing with the Play-Doh in the kitchen and the baby just woke," Noemi added as she walked out the door.

Once Noemi had left, Jenny shut the door behind her, and turned to her eldest daughter who was becoming more persistent in her attempts to garner her mother's attention.

"Yes, baby," Jenny asked indulgently.

"Come," Leilah commanded, running toward the kitchen and Jenny followed with Jethro behind her.

Leilah pointed proudly at her Play-Doh picture: what looked to be flattened yellow Play-Doh with two finger marks for eyes and more indents to make a mouth.

"Very pretty," Jenny praised, and Leilah grinned.

"You see, Daddy?" she inquired, expecting the same praise from him. "La-La did good?"

He smiled, that having been the first time she referred to herself by name-or as much of her name as she could manage.

"You're a regular Picasso," he joked, squatting to her height and she tilted her head to the side in confusion warranting a deep rumble of laughter from him. "Can I have it?" he asked, pulling her into his arms, and she reached forward, peeling it from the table, but accidentally ripped it in the process.

"Uh-oh," she mumbled, pouting dejectedly. "I make more," she gasped, her face lighting upon realizing that was an option.

"Bu-ba, help?" she asked her brother, but he shook his head, sucking on his pacifier.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One month later, Ziva was yanked out of a slumber she did not know she had fallen into, and looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

She realized that it was the door that had woken her, and she slid out of bed, laying the baby in his crib before grabbing her gun from the nightstand drawer, and made her way into the living room. She did not know who would be calling so late; Tony had a key.

She looked through the peephole in the door and gasped at seeing who stood on the other side. She debated not opening the door but he knew she was there, and she knew that.

She unlocked the door, and swung it open.

"Aba," she greeted him sharply.

A/n: Uh-oh….


	16. Chapter 16

Aaah! Hi you guys :) So, I'm finally trying to finish this story. It's been months, I know. I am thoroughly shamed. I won't set up any posting time frame, but I promise it won't be like eight months. Seriously? I can't believe I let it go that long. Smh.

But all of you who have stayed on the look out and have been asking me about it, you're great, pretty amazing actually. Thank you so much, and I really do hope you like the new chapter.

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><p>Ziva stood in her living room while her father sat calmly on her couch.<p>

"Did you ever plan to tell me about my grandson?" he asked in his Hebrew lilted English.

"Did you expect me to?" she snapped viciously.

"You hate me so, Zivaleh," he murmured, using his nickname for her, and her stony expression softened a little.

"I do not hate you, Aba," she sighed, seating herself on the arm of the sofa.

"You do," he insisted matter-of-factly. " I see it your eyes."

He was not looking for false contradictions from her; he knew it to be true. She said nothing, so he did.

"The father: Dinozzo, he is not Jewish?" he asked though it came off as a statement, as if he already knew.

"Have you been spying on me?" she demanded, angrily, shooting from her seat to a standing position once more. "Answer me!" she commanded in her native tongue.

"I had to worry about your loyalties, Ziva," he explained, carrying on the conversation in Hebrew, and he fell into the role of Eli David once more. She felt herself foolish to even try to see him as her Aba. "You cannot blame me for questioning them once you fell pregnant."

"My loyalties lie with Israel!" she snapped harshly, keeping her voice low so as not to wake her son. "My loyalties have _always _lied with my country."

"You are telling me they do not lie with your son and his father now?" he demanded sharply. "They are in America."

"Those are not the loyalties you are asking of," she spat. "If you are speaking of family, then do not expect me to hold you higher than my son, but if you are asking me if I would _betray _my country, then your doubts are misplaced."

"Prove it," he said, moving to his feet to hand her a paper.

"What is this?" she asked, fearing she knew what it was.

"Your next assignment," replied. "The Mossad liaison position is being suspended temporarily."

"How can you do this to me?" she gasped. "My son is barely a month old and you are taking him from me, taking me from him? Do you think that just _once _you might acknowledge that I am your daughter, and more than just an operative?" she growled. At the look on his face she paused, before scoffing in disbelief. "Or am I no more than an operative to you?"

"You will be returning to Israel in three months," he said with a finality in his voice, and headed for the door. "America has made you soft, Ziva. I did what I had to do when you and Tali and Ari were growing up. It is part of our jobs, Ziva."

"I lied," she growled as his hand rested on the doorknob and he turned back to see her looking at him as if she would like nothing more than to see him dead. "I do hate you. You will _never_ know my son. You will be dead to him," she seethed, yanking the door open, slamming it shut once he had gone.

She flinched, cursing her actions when her son's cries cut through the silence that had once been in the air.

Tony slipped through the door just before daybreak the following morning, attempting to stay quiet as to not wake Ziva or the baby. He shut the door behind him and walked through the foyer into the living room, only to jump back a mile with wide eyes, his arms shooting up instinctually at seeing Ziva sitting up in the armchair with one leg crossed over the other.

"Jesus!" he hissed, his heart still pounding in his chest. "You always do that. Why do you do that?"

Usually she might have cracked a smile in amusement at his antics, but this time when she looked up at him her eyes were wet with tears and he knew that something was very wrong.

"Ziva?" he murmured, moving toward her with concern etched into his features.

Her long, curly hair had been released from its tie and created a disheveled frame of soft frizz around her face. Her cheeks were flushed deep pink and her nose was beginning to match.

He could count the number of times he had ever seen Ziva shed a tear on one hand and he would still have fingers to spare. If she was sitting in their living room with her emotions on display…

"My father," she whispered, spitting the word 'father' with venom and hatred, as if it were the foulest word in her vocabulary. Her gaze traveled to the papers the aforementioned man had handed her hours ago, and Tony leaned forward to snatch them up.

"What's this?" he asked, unfolding said papers. "Zi, what's wrong?"

She met his eyes and then looked to the paper in his hands once more as if it were the answer to all of his questions; and he scanned the paper with his eyes quickly, his grip tightening with each word. He stopped, looking down at her, his expression a mix of confusion, and anger, and anguish.

"Three months," Ziva murmured furiously. "He gave me _three months_. Three months is nothing."

"Can he really-?" Tony started, but Ziva cut him off harshly.

"_Yes_," she hissed, her eyes flashing though her anger was not directed at Tony. "He does what pleases him. My father is not _stupid_ either. He knows that my contract will be finished in three months and two weeks. Those two weeks mean nothing though when I am stuck in the middle of the desert. Those weeks may turn to months."

"You're his daughter," Tony insisted tersely, his anger at Eli David now matching Ziva's. "You've hardly heard word from him in almost a year. Why is he doing this now?"

"Because I cannot remember the last time he thought of me as a daughter. I am an operative; and as an operative you do not fall pregnant. If you do, you _deal with the problem _before it becomes one," she bit out, the message clear behind her cryptic words. "My father never truly loved me, or Tali, or Ari like a parent should. My father does not know a parent's love because he was to _driven_ by his career to let it enter his life. His children: me, Ari, Tali, we were _pawns_; unimportant and disposable.

"Ziva, you can't think like that," he admonished gently, and she scoffed.

"Can't I?" she hissed, her wide-eyed expression bordering on maniacal. "I never wanted children, Tony," she reminded him. "I never wanted them because Mossad is no place for children, and with my father for a grandfather…" she trailed off before taking a deep breath. "but now, I have this child, this life." She smiled briefly at the thought of her son before sadness took place on her face once more. "I cannot bear to think of losing him."

"You won't, Ziva," he insisted vehemently.

"That is just it."She paused to look up at him with hollow eyes that scared him to death."If I go, that is not certain."

"It'll be okay, Ziva," he tried to reassure her though he was not so sure himself; but he gathered her in his arms nonetheless.

"No, Tony," she sighed, clinging to his arms. "It will not."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gibbs woke with a start, his head shooting up as he blinked his eyes rapidly in bleary confusion when _something_ hit the back of his head with a definite _squeak. _He had laid on his stomach with his face in his pillow, one arm dangling off the side of the bed, the other cradling his head. Now, though he looked around with groggy disorientation.

"What the hell?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

He heard the unmistakable sound of Leilah's tinkling, mischievous laughter, and he groaned, allowing his head to fall back into the pillow heavily.

"Da-da!" Leilah whispered gleefully with a delighted and inappropriately _energetic _gallop beside her parent's bed with, her blanket dragging on the hardwood floor behind her, tugging on her father's dangling hand with her free one.

Of the twins, Leilah was the lark, and she was always a painfully early riser; as in before five a.m. every morning.

The red-headed tot also seemed to be rather clever, and had long since learned how to get herself out and back into her crib if need be with her parents being none the wiser. He and Jenny had since learned to shut their door tightly so as to keep Leilah out unless they wanted to be in for a rather rude and unwelcome awakening; but working through the night and into early morning made certain things like closing the bedroom door seem less important when you finally saw a bed, and he had forgotten. Jenny mumbled something incoherently and rolled further to her side.

"Jen," he mumbled, bordering on whining, reaching out to nudge her gently.

She gasped softly at the unexpected contact, but relaxed at realizing that it was only Jethro before she settled on annoyance at the fact that there was no obnoxious light shining in her face, meaning he had woken her before daybreak.

"What?" she murmured, her voice hoarse with sleep, intense provocation dripping from her incited reply.

"Baby," he grumbled into his pillow.

Jenny could act like Diane all day for all he cared so long as he got a few hours more of sleep. Hell, she could hit him with a golf club too as long as he got to stay in bed.

Jenny's eyes opened at that, and her gaze traveled in the direction of her shoulder, mistaking his one-word explanation for a rather aberrant term of endearment.

"_Honey?_" she quipped back with sarcastic question, turning over to look at him skeptically, propping herself up with her forearms, her tangled red locks tumbling over her shoulders.

Only then did she catch sight of their eldest daughter smiling at her with undeniably adorable bed head, and Jenny rolled her eyes, dropping her head to rest on her wrists.

He meant _that_ baby; it made more sense, but she was back to being agitated.

"Ma-ma up?" Leilah asked, and Jenny pursed her lips, glaring at Gibbs' sleeping form.

"I suppose I am now," Jenny muttered, sliding out of bed. She rounded the bed and bent over to scoop her daughter into her arms. When she looked back at Gibbs, she laughed softly at the cowlick at the back of the head; and she hardly had the heart to be angry with him anymore. "You're a troublemaker, you know that?" she murmured to her daughter, and Leilah buried her face in her mother's neck with a hysterical giggle.

When Gibbs finally woke, it was to the smell of breakfast: bacon, sausage, pancakes, and eggs. As he reached the foot of the stairs, the sound of childish laughter and the low bass of music met his ears; and he rounded the corner, smiling at the sight before him.

Jenny laid on her back, her face bright with hysterical laughter, Jacob stretched out across her stomach laughing into his hands while Leilah swung her hands from side to side, twisting her hips to the music. Jenny's laughter only intensified as the chorus came and Leilah laughed simply because her mother was, adding gleeful jumps to her impromptu choreography.

Gibbs rumbling laughter alerted Jenny to his presence and she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Jethro," she laughed, gasping for breath as her eyes closed and she allowed her head to loll to the side; she rested her palm on her son's back as her back arched off the carpet and her whole body shook with laughter.

A rare, grin split his face, and he joined into their antics with genuine laughter. He didn't think he would ever have this again after Shannon and Kelly 'died'; but as he watched his daughter collapse to the ground dramatically in a fit of giggles, he couldn't have been happier. He finally felt that his world wasn't in danger of crashing down around him without any warning again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx

Jenny sat in her office the following morning when the livid Israeli threw her door open in a very Gibbs-like fashion.

"Did you know about this?" Ziva demanded, tossing her orders on Jenny's desk.

Jenny raised both brows at the younger woman in shocked confusion and slid the paper towards herself; she unfolded the paper, her eyes scanning it rapidly.

"He's sending you on an assignment, _now_?" Jenny asked in disbelief.

"Did you know that the position was being terminated?" Ziva demanded. It would not be the first time Jenny had betrayed her.

"Not until two minutes ago," Jenny replied, her eyes sincere.

"Is there not something you can do, Jenny?" Ziva implored, allowing her shoulders slumping at the knowledge that she was in front of Jenny, her friend rather than Director Shepard operating for political gain. "Can he just terminate the position at the drop of a sock?"

Jenny gave way to a ghost of a smile, and corrected her.

"Hat," she laughed softly before her expression turned somber once more. "But yes, that was part of the agreement. I'm sorry, Ziva." She paused before adding, "My offer still stands when you return from your assignment should you decided to leave Mossad."

Ziva nodded and stood back to her full height before striding from Jenny's office.

As the door slammed behind her, Jenny exhaled heavily, falling back in her chair and allowed her mask to fall and fearful despair to take place on her face once more. She moved her hand from her lap and placed the paper she had barely had time to hide before Ziva entered on her desk once more.

In it was her own bad news.

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><p>Sooo watchya think? Hearing from you all is lovely :)<p>

xoxo- M


	17. Chapter 17

_Jeez Louise! Almosy 2 months? I know. Bad Monkeys. Well, I have no other excuse other than the fact that my writing was depressing me, so I stopped for a bit. Then I thought of a way to make it happier and I picked it up again. A Redhead, A Boss, & A Gibblet is in the works as well. Internet pinky promise. :D_

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><p>Jethro strolled into Jenny's study with his usual air of 'I own everything' but paused in the doorway and raised his brows at seeing her cleaning her gun. It looked odd, seeing as she had her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her face was sans of all makeup, and she was dressed in her pajamas.<p>

She spared him a brief glance before she returned to her task. He wrinkled his brow, eyeing her suspiciously.

"You alright?" he asked, and she looked up at him again, this time with confusion.

"Fine," she assured him, but he was less than convinced. "Why?" she murmured as her eyes returned to her gun.

"You planning on taking out the Sand Man or something?" he quipped dryly, nodding at her weapon.

She smiled, and a soft laugh escaped her lips.

"It's calming," she said, starting to reassemble it. "Something I picked up from spending too long around Ziva."

"You need calming?" he asked, squatting in front of the fireplace to poke the flames; and she sighed, slamming the cartridge into the gun and set it down before crossing her arms on the desk.

"I'm fine, Jethro," she insisted with an small smile. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his distinctly un-assured expression. She set the safety on her weapon before setting it back in its drawer. "Are they asleep?" she asked, referring to their children as she set her glasses on her nose.

He gave a grunt in the affirmative; and she nodded before she laughed again in disbelief as he stared her down from his place in the chair by the fireplace.

"What?" she sighed impatiently. He just kept staring at her silently, the warm, flickering firelight dancing over his features. "I'm _fine_," she insisted.

"Would you tell me if you weren't?" he demanded, and she narrowed her eyes reproachfully. She snatched her glasses off to look at him.

"I beg your pardon?" she demanded reproachfully, her growing agitation at his line of questioning evident in her expression.

"The only person Ducky would stick his neck out for is you," Gibbs growled, pushing himself out of the chair to walk toward her; and it became abundantly clear that he had not come in to tae her to bed. "The only person Ducky would run blood samples for under Jane Doe is _you_."

She leaned back into her chair, the light of the fire dancing in her eyes as she looked up at him when he leaned over her, resting his hands on either side of her chair.

"Are you sick, Jenny?" he asked bluntly, the catch in his voice almost indiscernible as he searched her eyes.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out for a moment until she finally answered him.

"I don't know," she whispered truthfully with glassy eyes.

His clenched his teeth and his jaw jumped before he stood to his full height again; and backed away from her. She watched him pace back and forth.

"Jethro?" she murmured with uncharacteristic tentativeness.

He lunged forward, swiping her glass of bourbon across the room in one movement; and she jumped in her seat.

"When the hell were you going to tell me, Jen?" he demanded of her, his blue eyes flashing.

"When I knew for sure," she shot back. "I didn't see any need to bother you with it until then."

"_Bother_ me?" he barked in disbelief at her choice of words. "You are the mother of my kids," he growled irately. "It's not a _bother_ to know what's going on with you."

"I didn't mean it like that, Jethro," she snapped. "And keep your voice down," she hissed. "I-" she broke off and sighed heavily, pursing her lips before she spoke again. "I _don't_ know," she stressed, shaking her head.

"I do," he bit back hoarsely. "If those are your test results, then you are sick, Jenny," he said.

A flash of shock crossed her face before She bit down on her lip hard, and she looked back at him with a myriad of emotions: helplessness, apology, devastation.

He shook his head as he went back to pacing.

"I can't have this happen again, Jenny," he said with more emotion in his voice than she'd ever heard from him. "I can't lose…" he trailed off, swallowing thickly. "You have to fight this," he almost begged of her.

"It's not something you can fight, Jethro," she murmured softly with apologetic, watery eyes. "You just know." She paused. "You have to prepare yourself for the idea of losing me," she said, bewilderment at the situation she was now in coloring her voice. "For Leilah, and Jacob, and Ava," she impressed upon him. "They will need you to be prepared. I need you to be prepared, Jethro," she ground out as a lone tear finally spilled over onto her cheek.

She was crying not because of the confirmation of what was happening to her. She had always known it was a possibility since her father; and she had prepared herself. She was crying because she thought she might break the man in front of her. He'd already lost one family.

She watched him shake his head as he ran a hand over his mouth; and he walked from the room running a harried hand through his short cut.

She watched after him a moment in internal debate: let him go and think on his own or continue their conversation and try to find some way to bring him comfort herself.

"Jethro!" she finally called after him helplessly before the sound of the front door slamming echoed through the otherwise silent house and she exhaled shakily, holding a hand to her abdomen with tears clinging to her lashes.

She walked around to her desk and yanked open the top drawer, grabbing the somber looking funeral invitation she had received several days prior. Will was dead: heart attack. At the forefront of her mind she was glad. She had always known her mistake could come back to bite them all. Then, there was a nagging voice in her head that said his death wasn't from natural causes; and it _had _come back to bite them.

She wasn't supposed to be faced with this. Her mistake all those years ago shouldn't have affected anyone but herself.

She caught sight of her father's proud face staring back at her from the photo on the desk and her face darkened. She let out a strangled cry of frustration and pitched the photo across the room, watching it shatter as it hit the wall. This was all his fault. She wouldn't have been so damn ambitious if it weren't for him and his death. She didn't even know what she thought about her father anymore. For years she had thought he wasn't capable of what he had been accused of and she had spent her entire adult life going after the man who soiled his name. Now though, she wasn't so sure.

She dropped into her chair and let her forehead fall into her hands; and her shoulders shook in quiet sobs.

Her children, Leilah, and Jacob, and Ava: all three of them surprises she had never known she wanted, were in danger because of some _stupid_ decision she had made ten years ago. She would never see them grow up, but she would sure as hell make sure they _did _grow up; and she'd make sure Jethro was there to see it. They wouldn't pay the price for her pride.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Jethro walked back into the townhouse, shutting the door quietly behind him, it was pitch black aside from a warm glow from the light in Jenny's study.

He found her there, with her head on her desk. Her eyelids and nose were red and her cheeks were blotchy. He immediately felt guilty. Jenny needed him; and he had been too absorbed in his own emotions to think about it. He'd been so angry though: first at her for keeping it from him, and then at himself for all the time he had wasted, and then at God himself for taking her from him again and this time for good. It felt like he had only just gotten her back. This wasn't how they were supposed to end: with him loosing her like he'd lost Shannon.

"Jen," he murmured, brushing her hair out of her face; and she gasped, shooting upright with a start until she realized who it was and she relaxed with a weary sigh.

She laid her head back on her desk and closed her eyes a moment before she opened them to look back at him. She held his gaze for a minute before she spoke.

"I'm going to die," she said bluntly as if the realization was finally weighing on her mind.

"No, you're not," he replied confidently; and scoffed in disbelief.

"Yes, I _am_, Jethro," she whispered as she sat up. "I'm sorry," she said earnestly. "I'm sorry I ever left you."

He pulled her to him and she clung to his shirt in a rare moment of bare intimacy between the two of them.

"Stop apologizing," he murmured into her hair.

She pulled back from him, pushing her hand back through her hair; and a mirthless laugh escaped her lips.

"How am I going to tell my mother and my sister?" she demanded rhetorically. "This isn't fair," she whispered. "I didn't want kids," she admitted with a far off look in her eyes. "It's part of the reason I left you. I never expected to have a family, Jethro." She looked back at him with the most anguished look in her eyes. "Now, I think about things I never thought about before. I think about their graduations and-" she laughed. "I think about you warning some boyfriend of Leilah's or Ava's that you don't have to get close to shoot them." Her face fell once more; and she bit the inside of her lip. "I won't get see any of that anymore."

"You don't know that," he insisted; and she scoffed with a mirthless laugh.

"What's more definite than some terminal disease?" she demanded; and he rubbed his eyes with a grimace.

"Stop, Jen," he said with a sharp edge to his voice; and she eyed him incredulously.

Why didn't he understand? The sooner he did the easier it would be. She needed him to understand. She couldn't go knowing that her death was going to shock him like it had with Shannon and Kelly.

"There is no 'maybe you can make it past this.' I am _dying_, Jethro," she impressed upon him further. "I need you to understand that. I need you to be okay. I can't-" Her voice broke. "I can't leave you not knowing that you'll be okay. You can't hit rock bottom again like you did with Shannon and Kelly. You have three children to take care of. I need you to live with losing me."

He finally met her eyes with a stormy expression of his own: his icy blue eyes had gone dark with ire and anguish and pain that was years old.

"I'd rather not lose you at all," he shot back with a wild look about him. "Jesus, Jenny, did you ever think for one goddamn _second_ that the only time I'm going to believe you're gone is when you're really gone. I-" He broke off, looking as if he were struggling to form words. "I love you," he finally admitted with uncharacteristic, raw emotion. "You can't expect me to let you die and be okay with that."

She tugged her lip between her teeth and simply stared at him in silence because she didn't know what to say. She knew that he was right. Asking him to just forget about her would mean that he had never loved her at all; but she needed him to forget just enough because she loved him too much to let him suffer after she was gone.

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The bedroom was pitch black save the faint glow of the hall light peeking under the door as Jenny woke early the following morning, and the realization dawned on her that a familiar pair of arms were missing around her waist. Her eyes shot open and she looked around blearily as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

She sat up in bed, leaning back on her arms as she scanned the room for any signs of Jethro; and she knit her brows at the sound of a repetitive dull thud echoing outside her window. She crawled out of bed and covered the room in three long strides, yanking her curtains open.

Jethro stood outside in an old, grey USMC t-shirt and a pair of over-washed jeans swinging an axe into logs in the backyard. There was a fairly large pile to his left, meaning he had been at it a good while. How he hadn't woken her or the entire neighborhood for that matter she didn't know.

"Jethro," she growled , grabbing her robe from the chair beside her; and slipped it over her arms as she strode from the bedroom.

She walked down the stairs and through the ground floor hallways, not knowing what she was going to say to him when she got outside. After his initial explosion and later admission the night before, he had been quiet. Jethro didn't _do_ quiet: brooding, yes, but not quiet.

She pushed the backdoor open slowly, wrapping her arms around herself at the unexpected, pre-dawn chill. She shut the door behind her with just enough noise to announce herself without startling him; but he made no indication that he had heard her.

She sauntered down the three steps off of the porch and stopped at the foot before she spoke with her steady, alto voice.

"It's four a.m., Jethro," she said.

His jaw jumped as he brought his axe down heavily to split the wood and he threw the piece into the pile angrily before he grabbed another log.

"I think that's enough wood to keep the fireplace going for at least a year," she bit out, her words more forceful.

"Then I'll make it two years," he shot back as he brought his axe down again.

"Jethro," she sighed, but he stopped her.

"Go back to bed, Jenny," he said, splitting another piece of wood with a swift swing of the axe.

"Like I can sleep," she grumbled under her breath and sat down n the steps with a heavy sigh, rubbing her hands over her eyes and down the sides of her face wearily. She lifted her head to look at him: his shirt was by then soaked in the same sweat that coated his skin, and he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Should I have lied to you?" she asked suddenly, her eyes boring into his back. "You said no more secrets," she reminded him and paused. "But I feel like I should have lied to you."

"Were you going to write me another letter," he ground out as he swung the axe down with more force than before. "_Dear, Jethro_," he spat mockingly; and the moment he said it he felt guilty. He dropped the axe and turned to see her looking like he'd struck her: angry, and, shocked, and hurt. "Jesus, Jen, I didn't mean it," he sighed, and tugged the corner of her lip between her teeth.

"How long are you going to hold that against me?" she demanded lowly with her face set in stone, her eyes dark and flashing in anger. "You say that it doesn't matter anymore, but every time we have an argument you throw that back in my face," she spat. "How long, Jethro? Are you still going to hate me when I'm six feet under?" she laughed mirthlessly; and he blanched.

She pursed her lips tightly, rubbing her forehead to hide her glassy eyes as she turned away from him, yanking the door open before she slammed it behind her, leaving him there in a state of shock.

He stood in his spot only a moment before the common sense to go after her dawned on him and he threw the axe down.

"Jen!" he called, letting the door slam behind him only to hear the shattering of glass against linoleum and her prompt curse in response. He found her in the kitchen, standing over what looked like the remnants of the coffee pot.

She held a weary hand over her eyes before she yanked her hands away from her face and shook hem like they were falling asleep and balled them into quick fists as if to try to regain feeling in them. She sighed heavily; and moved for the broom by the refrigerator.

"I'll get it," Jethro said, staying her with a brief hand on her waist. "Let me see your hand," he instructed, grabbing her hand only to have her yank it away.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I didn't cut myself."

He looked at her a moment with her glaring back balefully.

"You know I didn't mean it, Jenny," he said; and she laughed wryly.

"Yes, you did, Jethro," she contradicted him. "You wouldn't have said it if you didn't think it. You just didn't mean for me to hear it." She cast a brief glance to the mess on the floor before looking back up at him with weak gratitude. "Thank you," she said simply, waving her hand at it before she turned away from him, presumably for the bedroom.

He knew she was right. There was always a part of him that would be angry with her for what she did. Hell, he thought he was going to marry her. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one: if she would have been like Shannon and they'd still be together now or if she would have been like Diane and the others; and they'd be ready to rip each other's throats out every time they saw each other. Actually that was more or less already true.

When he walked into the bedroom ten minutes later, she sat on the bed with Leilah, the latter entertaining the both of them in gleeful giggles as she pulled herself up with her mother's hands and launched herself back onto her bottom back only to do it all over again.

"Are you having fun, silly girl?" Jenny laughed, eliciting a shriek of delight from her daughter in response; and the elder redhead smiled indulgently at the baby.

"I have to go to California next week," Jenny said, clearly speaking to Jethro; but her gaze stayed on the baby.

Jethro looked to her abruptly, having been watching his daughter and her mother contentedly until then. He narrowed his eyes, knowing she had likely brought it up because Leilah was in the room; and she knew he would make some semblance of an effort to keep his temper under control.

"What do you mean, you have to go to California?" he asked tersely, clenching his jaw.

"I _mean_ I'm going to California," she deadpanned, smiling when Leilah grabbed Jenny's face between her tiny hands. She looked up at Jethro and then back at Leilah when the child's hand dropped to her shoulder and the other went to her mouth. Jenny followed her gaze to see her staring curiously at a baby bird outside the window. "Bird?" Jenny murmured; but Leilah simply continued to stare with fascination; and Jenny looked back at Jethro. "Will Decker's funeral."

"Decker?" Gibbs asked with a tinge of regret in his voice. He hadn't really spoken to the younger man in at least three years when they had crossed paths on case; and hardly before that since Decker had gotten his own team in the L.A. office over a decade ago.

"Heart attack," Jenny said before a twinkle of amusement flashed in her eyes. "Apparently he was involved in some extracurricular activities with his blonde, twenty-three year old girlfriend. The poor girl is traumatized," she laughed.

"Damn good way to go," Jethro said before the intermittent lightness of their conversation was gone again. "Take Tony and Ziva."

Jenny scoffed and looked up at him incredulously.

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "I am not taking Ziva away from her baby, especially now. I don't care how much she hates maternity leave. My normal security detail will do fine."

"Either they go or I go," he said with a firm finality; and Jenny looked up at him. Call it women's intuition-or paranoia-but she had the feeling that Jethro should stay as far away from California and whatever it was that had made Will Decker make sure his mother personally called to invite her to his funeral in the event of his death.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm _your_ boss," she reminded him. "You get that right?"

Jethro snorted. As if that had ever deterred him from doing what he wanted. If anything it made his being so ornery that much more satisfying.

"I will see Jethro," she acquiesced. "But _you_ are not going."

"I'm not sacrificing your safety because you're pissed," he shot back; and she went slack-jawed.

"My being angry with you has nothing to do with me not wanting you in California," she bit back in a hiss. "I just can't have my most senior agent gone while I am. I'd rather not have my agency burned to the ground in my absence if that's alright with you," she snapped.

"Me or them, Jenny," he repeated simply before he turned from the room, leaving her there in annoyed shock as she watched him go.

"Ma-ma," Leilah whined in discontent, perplexed as to why her mother had stopped paying attention to her.

"Yes, baby," Jenny sighed, giving her daughter a weak smile as she turned back to her.

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Ziva walked into Jenny's office the following morning with purpose in her step, her wild, curly mane falling over her shoulders. She was dressed in the casual cargo pants and fitted t-shirt that had become her uniform since having the baby.

"Ziva?" Jenny greeted her curiously as Cynthia ducked out, shutting the office door behind her.

"You are traveling to California?" the Israeli asked, though she phrased it as more of a statement. "You need a security detail."

Jenny pursed her lips as she removed her glasses and set them aside.

"Gibbs," she deduced with a growl."He told you."

"In so many words," Ziva agreed, unaffected. "I will accompany you," she offered.

"Ziva, I have no intentions of taking you away from your son," Jenny impressed on her; and Ziva threw her shoulders back, with a false mask of strength on her face.

"I thank you," she assured Jenny before a brief flash of pain crossed her face. "But I must accustom myself to being without him. There is no such thing as maternity leave in Mossad, and I fear as my father has pointed out, that I have become to comfortable with my position at NCIS."

"Ziva," Jenny started, but Ziva cut her off.

"Jenny," she whispered with glassy eyes, cursing the ineffectiveness of all of her training in stoicism. "I need this assignment."

Jenny's gaze lingered on her a moment before she nodded slowly.

"Okay," she sighed. "Whatever you need. You have it," she promised. She felt she owed her that much.

"Thank you," Ziva said with a curt nod before turning on her heel; and she left the office with haste, not bothering to shut the door behind her.

Jenny looked after her in sympathy before anger bloomed across her face at the thought of Jethro.

"Cynthia!" Jenny shouted; and her assistant was at her door in an instant, eyeing Jenny with wary surprise.

"Yes, Director?" she asked hesitantly.

"Get Agent Gibbs up her please," Jenny requested, and Cynthia gave her boss an apologetic look, hoping the redhead wouldn't shoot the messenger.

"Agent Gibbs and his team are out on a case, Director," she reminded Jenny; and the redhead took a deep breath.

"Well," she breathed, sounding slightly insane. "Have him see me the minute he's _back_," she snapped.

"Yes, Director," Cynthia agreed; and Jenny nodded tightly.

"Thank you, Cynthia," Jenny said in dismissal; and the young, African-American woman nodded before retreating and shutting the door back behind her.

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Three hours later, Jenny had barked at Cynthia at least once for every hour, nearly bitten off the head of her NCIS Executive Assistant Director for Combating Terrorism for nothing more than a small mishap in one of their operations, and she had sent a young analyst crying from her office only minutes ago.

The man who was the cause of her newfound foul mood threw her door open, letting it bang against the wall with Cynthia at his heels as usual.

"You called, Director?" he asked with the normal hint of a patronizing tone on her title.

"Director, I-"Cynthia tried, but Jenny cut her off.

"Not to worry, Cynthia," Jenny assured the younger woman; and Cynthia nodded in acquiescence, leaving the two of them alone.

"Shut the door," Jenny instructed; and she said it with such acridity that he actually did as he was told. "Explain to me where you get off telling Ziva to accompany me to California," she hissed, practically spitting fire.

"I never told her that," he insisted, advancing on the fire-breathing dragon that Jenny was steadfast becoming.

"Well you certainly didn't keep your mouth shut," she shot back. "I told you no, Jethro."

"And I told you-"

"I don't care _what_ you told me!" she barked, with wide eyes flashing in hungry anger. "I am your boss. We agreed to seperate work and home; and you are not my head of security, so who I do or do not take on a trip to the damn Al-Qaeda headquarters for all I care is none of your damn business; and you had no right."

"_You _are my business," he growled, leaning over desk. "Knowing that you are safe is my business."

"Ziva-I _owe_ her, Jethro. I will always owe her; and because of you she feels like she needs the time away from her son. She should be spending every minute with him, not spending two days with me for a funeral."

"Ziva isn't you, Jenny. Let her decide what she needs," he said.

"She wouldn't even have the idea in her head if you hadn't put it there," she snapped.

"Ziva told me I looked pissed off. She asked what was biting me. She made her decision, Jen," he assured her, but Jenny shook her head.

"You didn't have to tell her," Jenny said, staring at him with disappointement and resntment. "I don't have time for this. We'll talk at home."

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Regardless, Jenny sat on a plane the following weeks with Tony next to her and Ziva two rows back. She braced her back against the seat and wrapped her hands around the armrests as the engines whirred to life.

Tony eyed the normally fearless redhead in amusement as she swallowed thickly; and took an intentionally inconspicuous deep breath. He could practically invisible beads of sweat forming over her brow.

"You alright there, Jenny?" he asked; and she nodded.

"Fine," she ground out, closing her eyes as they started to move.

Tony grinned.

"Don't like planes?" he asked with an inquisitive brow and a chuckle.

Jenny glared at him. They were on much better terms as of late. He had almost forgiven her for her bat-shit-crazy stage; and she felt she could call him something like a friend again.

"I'm _fine_," she repeated, though her small intake of breath and the way her whole body went rigid as the plane's wheels left the ground was rather contradictory of her statement.

Only when their ears popped; and the plane leveled out did she relax with slow, soft exhale of breath. She slid her hair tie off of her wrist and held it in her mouth while she gathered her hair up and she pulled it back into a messy ponytail. Her short cut was growing out; and it brushed her shoulders now, but it was still an awkward length. Jenny looked up as the pilot came over the intercom telling them that it was alright to use any electronics; and she reached down to grab her book from her bag. When she sat back up, she laughed softly at seeing Tony with a portable DVD player in his lap; and a pair of headphones.

The sound caught his attention, and he looked over at her curiously.

"Good book?" he asked; and she peered up at him over her reading glasses.

"I don't know. I've only just started it," she replied, quirking the corners of her lips up into a small smile.

Tony nodded.

"What's it called?" he queried; and she marked her page before setting the book in her lap and removed her glasses to look at the Italian.

"Tony," she said with her emerald eyes dancing in amusement at his attempts to avoid what he assumed could be an awkward silence.

"Yeah?" he asked, seeming genuinely inquisitive.

"Watch your movie," she whispered, giving him a clear pass.

"Okay," he agreed with a curt nod, relief coloring his voice; and she grinned before setting her glasses back on her nose, returning to her book.

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When they exited the plane, Tony in front, Ziva in back there were a few reporters hanging around the entrance, obviously having been tipped off to Jenny's arrival. Tony spotted them before Jenny or Ziva and alerted her to them.

"Creepy kid with the camera, looks like a kangaroo on speed," he murmured; and Jenny looked up from her Blackberry abruptly, smirking when she saw the jumpy, wide-eyed, eager looking photographer. She ducked her head; and they tried their best to blend into the crowd,. Although, her red hair wasn't exactly inconspicuous and Tony and Ziva's movements practically screamed 'cops.'

"Director! Director!" the young man called over the crowd, waving her down with a pad in hand. Other people looked around at him in confusion and annoyance as Jenny, Tony, and Ziva sped up leaving the reporter to get lost in a sea of passengers rushing to their respective destinations.

"That happen often?" Tony asked once they were sure they had escaped the jittery little creature.

"Too often," Jenny sighed as they made it to 'Luggage.'

"What is the play plan?" Ziva asked, looking around impatiently-or warily-perhaps both. The need to move quickly had never left her, especially with the Director of NCIS under her watch.

Both Tony and Jenny turned to look at her abruptly: Tony in surprise and Jenny in confusion. It was the first real sentence she had uttered since they had left Washington.

"Game plan," Tony corrected, and Ziva nodded with a shrug, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yes, well, what is the _game_ plan?" she inquired.

"The service is at four," Jenny supplied, and looked down to check her watch before she spoke again. "It's two now. I suppose we can stop at the hotel and still have plenty of time to make it there."

"Sounds good," Tony agreed, and shot forward when he caught sight of his bag on the belt, leaving Jenny and Ziva alone.

"How are you?" Jenny asked, looking over at Ziva out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, and you?" Ziva replied, intentionally avoiding the redhead's inquiry.

"You know what I mean, Ziva," Jenny said, eyeing the younger woman intently.

Ziva was silent a moment before she inhaled deeply through her nose.

"I miss him," she said as if it was pulling teeth to do so; and she looked off to the side in a sub-conscious attempt to distance herself from the conversation even a little bit.

"You should call," Jenny advised; and Ziva looked back at her skeptically.

"He does not speak," she pointed out.

"Trust me," Jenny said, with a small knowing smile as Tony came back lugging all three bags.

"What are we talking about?" he asked a little breathlessly as he set the bags down and popped up with his trademark grin.

"Breast pumps," Jenny replied with a straight face; and his grin was gone as fast as it came, replaced by a slack-jawed grimace.

A short laugh escaped Ziva's lips; and his smile slowly returned.

"Very funny, Madame Director," he said, shaking his finger, more mortified still than amused as he lifted the bags off of the ground and set off after Jenny and Ziva.

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The California sun was setting in front of them and a soft breeze caught the trees hours later after Decker's funeral. Tony and Ziva stood off to the side while Jenny grudgingly albeit cordially spoke with a couple of reporters.

"I have always considered Agent Decker my friend," Jenny said to the reporters who had practically attacked her the moment she stepped out of the church. "Even after his retirement I knew that he was never more than a phone call away."

It was true. Decker had been like her older brother on Gibbs' team and during the Paris op. He had always been someone she could confide in; but she hated to admit, she felt as if she had never returned the favor. Once she had become Director, with the whole Frog mess things had changed. She wasn't the fun, sharp-tongued probie Jenny Shepard he had always known. She hadn't been able to afford to be.

"My heart goes out to Agent Decker's family, and his beloved girlfriend, Sasha," she continued. "I know that William loved her very much."

That much she did know. When they had spoken, all he talked about was a twenty-two year old little thing, but she could tell that there was something real there. And who was she to judge? Gibbs was almost thirteen years her senior.

"See something you like, Tony?" Ziva teased with a smirk as the teary-eyed blonde, Sasha got into the back of a car.

"I only have eyes for you, sweet cheeks," he quipped back with a look of mock worship. She snorted, but grinned at him nonetheless. They stood in comfortable silence a moment, watching as guests headed to their cars until Tony spoke again. "You doing alright?" he asked, and Ziva snapped her head in his direction abruptly.

"You too?" she demanded, and he assumed Jenny had already spoken to her. "Stop asking," she insisted. "I am _fine_."

"Ziva, you know-" he started again, but she cut him off.

"_Fine_, Tony," she ground out with sudden and biting acerbity. "Do you not understand simple English?"

Their conversation fell on deaf ears as Jenny finished up her interview and climbed the steps to the church again, looking at Will's picture. Again, there was the nagging notion in the back of her mind that this was a far cry from an accidental heart attack. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth regretfully as she bent over to sign the guest book.

"Though I do not see that our presence is exactly necessary," Ziva murmured. When she had requested the detail assignment, _this_: waiting around, was not what she had in mind. She needed a distraction, not extra time to dwell.

Tony started in on some well rehearsed spew; and her expression grew increasingly skeptical behind her sunglasses as he went on.

"NCIS Code of Conduct, paragraph one, subsection 'B': any inner and state travel made by the NCIS Director must be accompanied by-"

"Shh!" Ziva finally cut him off, making a 'zip it' motion with her hand; and he stopped mid-sentence. "You're making this up."

"Yes," Tony admitted, and she giggled. "But, she always is accompanied by two senior agents for security purposes, and if it's not a rule it should be," he decided.

"She is accompanied by two senior agents because our Director is rather adept at giving her regular detail the slide," Ziva laughed.

"Slip," Tony corrected automatically.

"Whatever," Ziva sighed in exasperation. She really did hate American idioms. "Jenny cannot be trusted thousands of miles away with a regular detail. You were not her partner, Tony. You know a very different Shepard than I."

Tony chuckled; and looked over to see Jenny still standing over the guest book.

"What was that name again?" the coordinator asked behind the redheaded Director out of either Tony or Ziva's earshot.

"_Mr. Oshimaida._"

Jenny stood up straight as a rod. Just like that she _knew_ that her gut had not failed her; and she had never been any more right about anything than keeping Jethro away from California.

* * *

><p><em>Next chapter picks up right where this one left off. Hope you enjoyed it. :]<em>

_Xoxo- Monkeys_


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